The Best of Intentions
by megie
Summary: Oliver Warbucks makes a decision that sets into motion a chain of events that has far reaching and lasting impacts that he never could have predicted. Will he see it through, despite the painful consequences to himself and those he loves?
1. Chapter 1

_The Best of Intentions_ is my second attempt at furthering the lives of Annie, Oliver Warbucks and Grace Farrell. (My first being _State of Grace,_ which can be found on this site.) Although not an alternate universe story in the strictest sense, it is what I call a "what if" story, and it's quite a departure from the story line the 1982 movie left us with. I'm vastly entertained while driving, getting my daughter to sleep, jogging etc. by wondering how a story would change if one character chose door #2 or took the road less taken. It took me nine months of struggles with some painful writer's block to figure it out, but I'm fairly pleased with how it all turned out. I enjoy hearing what readers think, so please let me know your thoughts on this story, other stories, and _Annie _ in particular. After all, it is one of my favorite subjects!

**Disclaimer:** All characters and situations mentioned in the 1982 movie _Annie _belong to Columbia Pictures and/or Rastar Productions. The picture of Oliver Warbucks can be found on annie the website . com. I intend no copyright infringement. However the words and characters I created are my own. This story may not be reprinted (on paper or electronically) or sold without my permission.

I would like to thank my sister, Linda Bindner, an incredibly gifted and prolific fanfic author, for editing this story, and then putting up with the insult of her suggestions not being taken!

**Dedication:** I dedicate this story to my daughter, Micki. If she hadn't insisted that I stay by her bedside every night, in the dark, while she drifted off to sleep, I never would have taken the time to come up with the scene in Chapter 12 that started this entire saga.

This story begins the morning of Annie's adoption party, i.e. the day after Punjab's daring rescue on the bridge.

_**THE BEST OF INTENTIONS**_

By Megie

CHAPTER 1

A STARTLING IDEA

At the only occupied table on the entire mezzanine level of the Azoria Restaurant, Cora Warbucks Edwards watched in amusement as her new niece literally inhaled her dessert as if she hadn't eaten in a year. _Then again,_ Cora mused, _she probably feels like she hasn't._ _And she certainly didn't have many desserts in that orphanage. _Annie shoveled in the last spoonful and sat back with a contented sigh.

"Boy, that sure was good! What's it called again, Daddy Warbucks?"

Cora gave a discrete cough to cover the laugh that was trying to escape. She couldn't help it. Every time she heard Annie call her brother by his new moniker, she felt the desire to break out in girlish giggles. The idea of her grouchy, strident brother being called daddy by anyone, let alone 'Daddy Warbucks' by a plucky 10 year old orphan girl was almost too much.

He seemed completely unaffected by the incongruity, however, and glanced up from his perusal of the latest edition of the _Times_ to answer, "Crème brulee."

"Creamed broolett?"

Oliver smiled at Annie's attempt to pronounce the French delicacy. "Close enough. It's a French custard."

"What's the name mean?"

He paused, and after a moment's consideration, admitted defeat. "I don't know." He looked at Cora, silently asking for help.

She shook her head vehemently. "Don't ask me. I'm hopeless in all languages besides English!"

"I guess we'll have to ask Grace when we get home. She speaks French."

This was news to Annie. "She does?! I didn't know that."

"Oh yes. She speaks it quite fluently. That particular skill has saved me many a headache with my business ventures over there."

Annie's brow puckered. "Flu-what?"

Cora smiled again. "It means she speaks French very well."

"Wow! Do you think she'd teach me?"

"I'm sure she would if you asked her to, dear. Assuming, of course, your father ever gives that poor woman some free time." Cora sent a sidelong glance at Oliver, who'd returned his attention to the newspaper. If there was anyone who needed to get out of the office, it was Grace Farrell. The woman was withering away in Warbucks' employ, buried under mountains of correspondence and financial reports. She needed to stop spending so much time looking after her boss and more time looking out for herself, or she was never going to find a husband! And on that subject….

"Annie, since you've finished dessert, why don't you and Punjab take a look at those trees you noticed in the restaurant entryway while I talk to your father?"

"Oh, boy! Come on, Punjab. I bet anything there's birds in those trees!"

As Annie jumped off her chair in preparation for tearing down the stairs to the lower level, Punjab wisely intoned, "Buddha says 'A man who bets on an uncertain outcome has empty pockets.'"

Oliver regarded his bodyguard over the top of his paper. "The excitement from the uncertainty is the whole point of betting, Punjab."

"Not to Buddha."

The Asp leaned close to Annie's ear. "Old Chinese proverb, 'He who bets on a sure thing gets little reward.'"

Annie looked between both men, gauging what they'd said. "Sometimes I just don't get you two."

"What I'd like to know," Oliver began, laying his paper on the table, "is just where all these words of wisdom you two spout are written."

"Right here." Both men pointed to his own head.

"I should have known."

Punjab and the Asp smiled mysteriously.

Shaking her head, Annie grabbed the Indian's large hand. "Come on, Punjab, let's go see one way or the other."

"Now that's the female way to approach the matter!" Cora smiled herself as the three men scowled at her.

Annie led Punjab away and the Asp resumed his former discrete but watchful position nearby.

Now that they were alone, Cora wasted no time in broaching the subject that was on her mind. "Oliver, now that Annie's adoption has been settled, she needs a mother."

"What?!" Oliver stared his sister, aghast. "A mother! Don't you think that's a little premature?"

"Not at all." Cora scooted closer to the table, intent on pressing her case. "It's obvious that Annie's in dire need of training; she doesn't even know how to use tableware properly." As Oliver bristled, she rushed on. "I realize she hasn't had any experience in those matters, and I'm not faulting her, but if you intend to take her into your social circle, she'll be expected to at least know the rules of etiquette. Are _you_ going to teach her?"

"Grace is fully qualified to fulfill those duties," Oliver countered.

"_Miss Farrell_ is your secretary and far too busy running the house and you to take on the added responsibility of raising your adopted daughter. After all, we're eating lunch here solely to keep Annie out of the way so she can organize tonight's party."

"Cora…."

"All I'm saying is that Annie is going to require guidance from a close female, especially as she approaches womanhood. At her age, that's just around the corner."

Her comment startled Warbucks. He hadn't considered that point. To his mind Annie was a little girl, and would stay that way indefinitely. He found he didn't want her to grow up, and was ill prepared to deal with that eventuality. He'd just officially adopted her a few hours ago, for heaven's sake, and already he was supposed to think about…adult female issues?! His mind was besieged by a future filled with the murky teenage problems of mood swings and beaus; areas he had absolutely no idea how to handle, especially for a girl. He broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. If left to his own devices, he very well might ruin Annie! But, a mother…?

"All you say may be true, but don't you think marriage is a bit drastic?"

Cora shook her head. "Not at all. It's high time you settled down, and what with adopting Annie, there's never been a better time. Or reason," she emphasized, and could see her brother was at least considering her argument. She decided to put her idea completely on the table. "I even have the perfect woman in mind."

_Ah,_ _here's the piece de resistance. _"Really?" he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Unfazed, Cora continued, "Yes, really. She's your age, a widow, with two children of her own. Her husband left her a great amount of wealth, but she's an accomplished businesswoman in her own right. She's from an established family, and through her stature as a member of New York's social elite, she will be able to help Annie in numerous ways."

"She sounds too good to be true. She must be ugly," Oliver smirked.

"On the contrary, she's very handsome."

"'Handsome' means a woman beyond her prime."

Cora huffed in annoyance. "With a former husband and two children, she's not a young twenty-something, and neither are you!"

Oliver actually laughed. "Are you saying at my age beggars can't be choosers?"

"I'm saying," Cora continued indignantly, "that she's the perfect candidate, and you're already acquainted with her."

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise. "I am?" He lifted his coffee cup to drain the last of it. "Well don't keep me in suspense; who is the future Mrs. Warbucks?"

His sister leaned back in her chair and shared the final piece of the puzzle. "Katherine Allen."

Oliver choked on the liquid he'd just swallowed. "Katherine?!"

Cora sat serenely while Warbucks ingested the information.

When it became obvious she wasn't going to withdraw her suggestion, he spluttered, "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely, for all the reasons I just delineated." At his look of incredulousness, she pointed out, "She's perfect for you, and you like her, Oliver. You admitted that yourself after returning from your time with her in New Orleans."

"That was a business trip, as you well know," he proclaimed heatedly. "We were there together solely to investigate possible locations for the new oil platform we're partnering on. Besides, Grace was with us practically the entire time. Don't make it into something it wasn't."

"Your secretary could hardly be considered an appropriate chaperon."

"I don't need a chaperon!"

As if he hadn't interjected, she added, "That trip spawned a spate of rumors about you two."

"None of them true."

"And I know for a fact that you and Katherine had dinner together, alone, on more than one occasion."

Oliver rolled his eyes at his sister's innuendo. "Well, yes, I enjoy her company, but that's not reason enough to marry the woman!"

"Many couples have married with far less compatibility."

Oliver finally lost his patience. Throwing his napkin down, he practically bellowed, "Cora,…!"

Unlike most people, Cora wasn't cowed by the glare on his face. "This is a serious matter, Oliver. With James' poor health I won't be available to help as much as I'd like, and you can't raise that girl by yourself!" She spotted Annie and Punjab returning from their journey to the foyer. "All I'm asking is that you think about it."

Kept from responding by Annie's arrival, Oliver could only fume as Cora turned to the lively redhead. "Did you see any birds?"

"We sure did, but not in the trees!" At her aunt's mystified expression, Annie explained, "Three birds flew through the door when someone held it open for an old lady. Me 'n Punjab helped the restaurant man try to catch 'em, but they flew away every time we got close."

Oliver scrutinized Punjab closely. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?"

The Indian coolly returned his employer's gaze. "Of course not, Sahib. That would be counterproductive to the manager's goal of 'removing the unsightly beasts.'"

"Of course not," was all Warbucks said, but the twinkle in his eye left no doubt to what he really thought.

Annie turned to her father. "Daddy Warbucks, I gotta go."

Oliver looked at her, puzzled, "Go where?"

"I gotta go to the bathroom."

Before Oliver could respond, Cora corrected, "You mean you need to be excused."

Annie nodded. "Yeah. That's what I said." She returned her attention to Warbucks. "I can't find it. Will you take me?"

At Oliver's corresponding look of horror, Cora smoothly interjected. "I'll take you, dear." She rose and took Annie's hand. Before they departed, Cora leaned close to her brother, whispering pointedly, "As I am the only female here." They walked away, the Asp following, leaving a heavily scowling Warbucks at the table.

A waiter approached with the check, which Warbucks paid as the dishes were cleared. He gave scant attention to the wait staff, his mind instead on Cora's outrageous suggestion.

He knew Cora would be shocked to discover that he didn't find her idea of marriage to be astounding; he'd been thinking along the same lines himself. He just hadn't been considering Katherine Allen as a potential mate. Instead his thoughts had recently placed Grace Farrell in that role. In fact, a portion of his mind had been reserved for Grace ever since the evening he, she and Annie had attended the movie at Radio City Music Hall. Through the horrible ordeal of Annie's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, he'd known Grace was close by, and was surprisingly comforted by her presence. And later, after everything had calmed down and he had time to consider the matter, he realized she'd always been there, silently helping him, smoothing his way. Of course, that was her job, and never in the past had he acknowledged her presence as being special, but the possible loss of Annie had exposed the fact that he'd taken Grace for granted all these years, and someday she too might slip away without warning.

That thought bothered him. It bothered him a great deal.

It was that discomfort that made him realize with sudden clarity how much she meant to him, and how blind he'd been. He couldn't imagine his life without Grace in it in some way. He didn't even want to consider it. What he wanted was to make her presence in his life permanent. Short of giving her an embarrassingly large salary to keep her in his employ, the obvious solution was a proposal of marriage.

The very idea caused his heart to painfully skip several beats.

Although Oliver had decided he was extremely fond of Grace, he had no idea what her feelings were toward him. True, she'd offered him some beguiling smiles of late, but those were likely due to her excitement of his agreement to adopt Annie; he was sure those smiles weren't for his sake. Over the years he'd given her few reasons to develop any level of affection for him. He was loud, brash, and demanding, with little patience for the frailties of others. Several instances sprang to mind when he knew he'd been downright impossible to deal with. He was ashamed to admit that he'd allowed her to see the very worst of him far too often.

There was the added issue of the difference in their ages. He didn't know exactly how old she was, but realized she couldn't be much over 30. That made him at least 12-14 years her senior, a significant breach, especially at his age. Although not old enough to be her father, he was nearing midlife, while she was still young; too young to be saddled with an aging husband.

On top of that, Grace was quite beautiful. Coupled with her intelligence and warm personality, she could, in Oliver's opinion, have any man she chose, and he could discern no reason why she would choose him. Beyond his incredible wealth, he realized he had little to offer Grace Farrell, and Grace wasn't a woman who would accept a man based solely on his material possessions. She deserved far better, or at least someone more appropriate than him, and he knew she would recognize that as well. A proposal and her ultimate refusal would bring nothing but embarrassment to both of them and likely cause a strain on their professional relationship they would be unable to overcome. As a result, he was very afraid she would leave, and he came to the abrupt conclusion that he simply couldn't do it. The risk of losing her was too great.

On the other hand, he was exactly what Katherine Allen was looking for, if she was indeed looking. She hadn't made any evident overtures during their time in New Orleans five months earlier, but she obviously enjoyed his company as much as he did hers. She'd readily agreed to spend time alone with him on several occasions and had even accompanied him to a few high profile events since returning home to New York. And Cora was right. Katherine was a mature sophisticate whose social connections would help Annie immeasurably. What Cora didn't truly realize was that Katherine was also a savvy and deceptively shrewd businesswoman. She would look upon an offer from Oliver as an extraordinary opportunity to join their estates, forming one vast and powerful empire. Combined, their influence would be formidable indeed. Oliver instinctually knew that Katherine would consider the raising of Annie to be a nominal responsibility in exchange for the merger of their fortunes. There was little chance that she would turn him down.

Oliver's musings were interrupted by Annie and Cora's return. Even at a distance he could hear his daughter enthusing about something to her aunt.

"Oh, Aunt Cora, wait til you see her dress! She showed it to me this morning. It's so pretty. She's gonna knock everyone out!"

Partly stunned, Cora exclaimed, "I hope not! I've never known her to be that type of person."

Annie laughed at Cora's mistake. "No, that mean she's gonna turn a lot of heads," she said knowingly.

"Annie, you certainly have a way with words."

Oliver smiled as he rose from the table. "She does tend to get to the heart of a matter."

"Yes, and very…peculiarly." Cora looked at her brother, her eyes full of meaning.

Either ignoring her intent or oblivious to it, Oliver responded affectionately, "I know." His smile grew as he took in Annie. "It's very refreshing." Coming to a hasty decision, he turned his attention to his sister. "Cora, I have a favor to ask. I have some important errands to run this afternoon. Would you mind taking Annie for a few hours? If you could return her home by 4:30, in time for…well, just in time." He caught himself as he was about to divulge the surprise adoption party being planned for that evening.

"You mean in time for the party tonight?" Annie asked innocently.

At Warbucks' shocked expression, Cora stated, "I was about to tell you that she already knows about the party."

His hands on his hips, Oliver queried in exasperation, "How did you find out about that?"

Annie glanced in the direction of the Asp, who only raised his eyebrows. She clasped her hands behind her back and threw her chin in the air. "I have my ways."

Oliver's eyes narrowed at her response. "You're far too street-wise for your own good."

"I think you mean for your own good, Oliver," Cora laughed. "And yes, I'll be happy to take Annie. We have some girl talk to do anyway." Annie nodded in agreement.

Oliver paused in his activity of gathering his belongings from the table to glance sharply at his sister. "Whatever you're planning, keep it _appropriate_!"

Cora rolled her eyes. "Just run your errands, Oliver." She took Annie's hand and began to lead her down the stairs into the restaurant proper. Punjab fell into step directly behind them. "Now you can tell me more about this dress. It sounds divine."

"Oh, it is, and I bet it fits her like a glove in all the right places!"

Shaking her head, Cora lamented, "I think your father's right; you are too street-wise."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

THE PERFECT WOMAN

Katherine Allen was at home, ensconced in her late husband's office, intently perusing the latest stock reports. The depression still had many of her investments in a stranglehold, few showing any gain and more than she liked posting a loss. She was going to have to diversify more to offset the losses she was experiencing. If things didn't change soon, she would be forced to remove the children from the exclusive boarding schools they attended. She didn't think Robert, Jr. would mind so much, but Penelope would throw a fit if she had to give up her private dance tutoring. Penelope in a constant state of temper wasn't something Katherine cared to deal with. She sighed heavily and looked around the room.

She hadn't changed the office much in the four years since Robert had died, preferring to keep his memory alive in her surroundings. Although not initially based on an emotional attachment, she had grown quite fond of him over the course of their marriage, and she missed his company and his counsel. An investment banker by profession, he'd often advised her in the business ventures she'd undertaken, quietly coaching her. Through his guidance she'd grown to see the larger picture and the potentially greater payoff with long-term speculations.

It was these teachings that encouraged her to back a new oil platform design, one that would revolutionize the way oil was drilled and mined in the Gulf. The months of work she'd put into it was about to come to fruition, but the cost outlay up front was putting a strain on her liquid assets. She didn't have the resources of some of the other partners, such as Warbucks, International, to weather the setbacks always endured with a prototype. Katherine had no doubt she would profit greatly from the platform once production got under way, but it had been a long five months fraught with unforeseen difficulties and "diplomatic haggling" with the other investors. Everyone wanted to make sure his or her interests were expressed and protected, none more so than Warbucks himself.

Prior to this venture, Katherine had only known Oliver Warbucks socially, but the many meetings and location scouts they had both participated in regarding the platform had allowed her to work with him closely for lengthy periods of time. Oliver was a challenge to deal with. A true workaholic, he rarely took time off, as if he wanted to milk every minute for the potential that it was. He was argumentative, stubborn and blunt to the point of tactlessness. He was also brilliant with boundless energy and a personal charisma she found oddly intriguing. With him at the conference table she felt like she was watching a weaver plying and bending raw materials into a masterful creation, not stopping until he'd persuaded everyone to do his bidding, whether they liked it or not. She learned he preferred honest, straight dealing, despising hidden agendas to the extent of being brutally ruthless to partners who were careless enough to allow theirs to be discovered. Little, if anything, ever got passed him.

Oliver's private persona differed little from his professional mien. The few times she'd accompanied him to special events, he talked business most of the time. Curiously, however, she never felt slighted. Regardless of who else was in the room, he gave her nearly all of his attention. He listened to her opinions and comments, weighed them against his own, then entered into a usually stirring conversation that tested her knowledge and perspectives. Unlike most men of the age, Oliver Warbucks viewed women and men equally, trusting a woman to do any job as capably as a man as long as she was qualified. Katherine found it was extremely refreshing to be taken seriously. Even Robert had never considered her an equal professionally in spite of her multiple financial successes, once going so far as to refer to her as "merely a woman" to a room full of associates!

Despite Oliver's attention, Katherine doubted he had any interest in her as a woman. In fact, she doubted he had any interest in _any_ woman beyond professional considerations, regardless that he'd been listed as one of the world's top ten bachelors for longer than she could remember. When she'd asked about this point blank during an evening together, he'd laughingly explained that if it wasn't for his considerable wealth, no woman would look twice at him, which was why he never looked once at them. However, he went on to say that if he went completely bankrupt and then some woman professed to love him, he'd marry her!

Katherine was roused from her thoughts by the arrival of Emily, one of the many maids she employed.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but Mr. Oliver Warbucks is here to see you. Shall I tell him you'll be down directly?"

Katherine's eyebrows shot up toward her hairline. _Speak of the devil._ She almost smiled at being caught thinking about him. Instead, she answered evenly, "Of course. Show him to the east drawing room and I'll be down in a moment."

Emily gave a small nod and retired, closing the door.

Katherine made her way to a gilt edged mirror hanging on the wall. She picked up a brush kept on a stand nearby and drew it through her short, curled hair. _You don't welcome a billionaire without at least checking your appearance,_ she thought with a smirk! She smoothed her dress and straightened her stockings. Satisfied at her appearance, she left the office and made her way downstairs to the east drawing room, wondering what would bring Oliver on a visit unannounced in the middle of the day.

Upon entering the room, she found him sitting in an easy chair, foot propped on one knee, comfortably perusing a newspaper like he owned the place.

"Did you bring your own paper or is that mine?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

Oliver glanced at her around the edge of the paper, returning her smile. "Mine. I've learned when calling on a female, I shouldn't expect to see her for at least half an hour after my arrival, and I need to bring something useful to do to fill up the time."

"Sorry to disturb you, then. I'll leave you to your paper and come back in 30 minutes."

Oliver laughed, and, folding the paper, rose to properly greet her. "Katherine, how are you?" He took her hand and gave it a warm squeeze.

Fully smiling now, Katherine returned the gesture. "Well, thank you, Oliver. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I have a…proposition to present to you, one you'll likely find rather astonishing." He glanced around the room, his gaze landing on a settee. "Why don't we sit down?"

"Of course," Katherine agreed smoothly, moving to the sofa and settling herself near him. "I was surprised by your visit, but now you've really piqued my curiosity." She knew from past experience with him that he wouldn't waste time getting to the heart of the matter, and he didn't disappoint.

Without preamble, he began, "I'm sure you've heard of my adoption of the orphan, Annie."

"Yes, but only what I read in the papers this morning. Was she really plucked off that bridge by your bodyguard?"

"She was. It was quite a harrowing experience for all of us."

Katherine briefly wondered who he meant by "us," but circumspectly didn't ask. Instead she commented, "I can imagine. How is she doing today?"

Oliver smiled. "Business as usual. I think she was less affected by the events than I was. My knees were still shaking when we got home last night."

"It's the nature of being a parent, Oliver," she said wisely. "You spend at least a quarter of your time with your heart in your throat, wondering if they're going to survive the next escapade."

"You speak with the experience of one who's been there."

"I do have two children of my own, if you'll recall."

"I do, and that brings me to the reason for my visit." Oliver shifted on the sofa, turning more in her direction. "I finalized Annie's adoption this morning and she is now officially Annie Warbucks. Through the emotional whirlwind since I decided to adopt her, not once did it occur to me how ill equipped I am to raise a little girl on my own."

Believing he just needed someone to set his mind at ease, Katherine reassured, "You have a large staff to support you, Oliver, in addition to any full-time care givers you hire."

"True," he acceded, "but all of those people are capricious and subject to leave without notice. Annie needs someone stable in her life, who isn't going to be enticed away by a better offer. Annie needs a mother," he stated bluntly.

Katherine stared at him a few seconds in silence. Suddenly his full meaning dawned on her. "_Me?!_"

Oliver smiled at her uncharacteristic outburst. "You were my first choice for the job." _Not exactly true_, he thought, _but an acceptable second_.

Not sure she could trust where her thoughts were heading, she asked, "Just what exactly are you suggesting, Oliver?"

"Marriage."

She stared at him, aghast. "Are you serious?"

"Entirely. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

And he did look serious. Katherine drew back and blinked at him, strangely unable to grasp what he was intimating. If she didn't know him better, she would have thought he was playing a practical joke on her. Except that wasn't Oliver Warbucks' style. It took several seconds before she managed to get her surprise under control enough to inquire, "What type of marriage do you have in mind?"

Now that she had apparently proceeded beyond her initial shock at his offer, he relaxed. He knew he could convince her to agree more readily if he avoided his usual aggressive tendencies when attempting to strike a deal. Although, he briefly mused, this was a deal unlike any he had proposed in the past!

"That is completely up to you," he pronounced affably. "It can be a marriage in name only, or a full marriage and all that entails. I'm amenable either way."

That declaration shocked her anew. This was positively astounding! She would never have predicted this event in all her life. Katherine sat back into the cushions, gauging his sincerity. He certainly looked like he meant every word.

Her keen business sense began to kick in, seeing all the potential a union with Oliver could bring. This would undoubtedly solve her immediate cash flow problems, although, knowing her children, it could bring a host of others. "Before I make a decision, can you elucidate what your expectations will be should I accept your offer?"

Now he was in familiar territory, and he illustrated the plan he drew up in the car on the way over. "Annie will, of course, be your main focus. She's spent her entire life in an orphanage run by a woman more intent on her own personal gain than on the raising of little girls. Despite that, you'll find Annie has a vibrant, enthusiastic personality with a strong desire to learn. Although," Oliver chuckled, "she does occasionally display a stubborn streak, and she's fiercely protective of those she loves," thinking that Sandy might represent the first hitch in otherwise smooth proceedings. "Above all, Annie's in desperate need of education and training in the social graces. I'll expect you to direct those areas."

Katherine nodded slowly, then brought up another point of deliberation. "What of our two households?"

He shrugged. "You may keep whatever property you like, however, and please don't take offense at this, my house is the larger of the two. I admit, I'm rather entrenched and it would be difficult to move my business entrapments. In addition," he glanced quickly around the room, "you really don't have the accommodations my business often requires."

She knew he wasn't being insulting, only matter of fact. Further, he was right. His house was larger, far more luxurious, and he operated his business from his estate. It was an unusual arrangement for a man of his stature. Then again, she thought, he didn't have a wife and children at home from whom he wanted to escape. She wondered how quickly that would change.

For the present she chose not to borrow trouble, as her secretary, Mrs. Tipton, often said. Instead she continued with the points immediately at hand. "Can you guarantee my assets and those of my children will be protected from being swallowed by Warbucks, International?"

Oliver placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "Katherine, I give you my word that our business enterprises and our assets will remain separate, if that's what you prefer. If it will make you feel any better, we can draw up an agreement to protect your interests, detailing whatever you desire."

She considered what he'd said, as well as his hand still resting on her knee. It had been a long time since anyone, let alone a man like Oliver, had touched her that way. As dumbfounding as this proposal was, she felt herself beginning to warm to the idea. But she still had some strong reservations.

Placing her own hand atop his, she admitted, "You know I'm fond of you, Oliver, but I don't love you."

He actually smiled at her confession. "I didn't think you did, nor do I love you. What I'm offering is, at the moment at least, strictly a business deal. If affection develops over time, all the better. If not," he shrugged again, "that will be fine too. As I said, that's really up to you."

She had one last question she wanted answered before she could make a decision. "Why me?"

Without hesitation, he began to detail all the points that had induced him to make the offer in the first place. "We've spent quite a bit of time together, both professionally and socially, and therefore know each other well. We're at the same point in life, have similar goals and respect one another. You also know how implacable I can be at times. At my age I don't plan to change," he said without apology. "I believe you're one of the few women I've met who is willing to put up with that. I think we have as good a chance as anyone at a satisfying union."

Katherine's lips twitched at what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

Oliver laughed at her candor. "You. I've already made my decision." Feeling her weaken, he brought up his remaining ace. "Would you like to see the engagement ring?"

Curious, she conceded, "It is a good idea to have everything on the table before finalizing a deal."

Oliver drew a black velvet box from his coat pocket and slowly opened it for her to see.

Nestled inside was a ring the likes of which Katherine had never hoped to own. A radiant blue diamond, at least 50 carats judging by the size, sparkled in the subdued lighting of the room. The intricate filigree of the white gold band it was set in caught the light as well, giving the appearance of dozens of tiny diamonds surrounding the main stone, adding to its luster. The ring was more than magnificent; it was a work of art.

Finally finding her voice, Katherine breathed, "Oliver, that's the most exquisite creation I've ever seen."

"If you agree to my offer, you'll have to put up with quite a lot. I thought I'd better make it worth your while."

She reached a hand out toward the box, then stopped. Raising her eyes to his in question, she asked, "May I?"

"Of course." He removed the ring from its pocket and gave it to her.

She turned the ring in her fingers, watching as its glow changed according to the angle of light hitting the diamond. Even without the aid of a magnifying glass, she could see the stone was flawless. It alone was probably worth ten times the rest of her jewelry combined. Her eyes searched out Oliver's again, giving him a long stare. She was under no illusion that marriage to Oliver Warbucks would be a simple undertaking, but she knew exactly where she stood with him, and that he would treat and care for her to the best of his ability. She could do far worse.

And she'd be set for life.

Holding the ring between them, she said, "You certainly know how to convince a woman."

"Then you accept?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "According to the guidelines you've laid out, yes, I do."

Oliver smiled. "Excellent." He took the ring, and slid it onto the traditional ring finger. Still grasping her hand, he continued, "I'm throwing a party to celebrate Annie's adoption tonight at the house. Would you care to join us? You can meet Annie in a relaxed atmosphere and get to know her a little. And we can announce the engagement, if you like."

His suggestion to make a public announcement regarding their plans told her in no uncertain terms that he didn't intend to back out. Katherine gave his hand a squeeze. "I'd like that very much."

"I'll send a car for you about eight," he said, rising. "Until tonight." With that, he turned and exited the room in his usual clipped fashion.

As the Asp eased the DuPont down the winding drive to the street, Oliver settled into the backseat, sighing in satisfaction. That had gone far better than he had dared hope. Dealing with women could always be a little touchy, but he had known the ring would be a strong selling point. It really was an incredible masterpiece. What he'd neglected to impart to Katherine, and a point he was ignoring now, was that he'd chosen the stone not due to its magnificence or the fact that its grandeur would convince any woman to accept him, but rather because he'd been stunned at how closely it matched the color of Grace Farrell's eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

THE OTHER WOMAN

Grace Farrell was ready to smack the man standing obdurately before her over the head with her clipboard. Actually, she wanted to smack him twice, once for being thick-headed, and the second for wasting so much of her time. According to Mrs. Edwards, who'd returned only a few moments earlier with Annie, Oliver would be home shortly, and Grace wanted to have as many details of the party worked out before he did so she could at least spend some uninterrupted time with him before guests started arriving.

Throughout the incredibly hectic day of throwing together a celebration involving lights, fireworks and a circus for 200 plus guests, one who just happened to be the president of the United States, Grace had managed to reserve a small part of her mind for Oliver.

He'd changed so much in the last few days, she still wasn't sure if she'd imagined it all. His unexpected warmth the night he, she and Annie attended Radio City Music Hall had taken her by surprise, and he'd floored her the next morning when he agreed to adopt Annie! But it was the tightness of his embrace while they'd endured those terrifying moments before Punjab rescued Annie from the bridge that made her heart soar. She knew she shouldn't give in to the giddiness that had been bubbling under the surface ever since, but she couldn't help but hope that perhaps she would finally be allowed to show the deep affection she'd been secretly harboring for him for years. The mere thought took her breath away.

However Mr. Martin, the caterer, seemed bent on ruining any private plans she might have. In fact, he seemed determined to ruin the party as well.

"I will explain it to you again, Miss Farrell. I simply cannot serve in the area you have detailed to me! The very idea of exposing my incredible delicacies to the rampages of an elephant, of all things, makes me shudder! Do you have any idea of the type of function I am accustomed to? I've served ambassadors, potentates, _royalty_! I will not allow you to turn Martin's Masterpieces, Incorporated into a three ring circus!" Mr. Martin quivered in outrage.

Grace felt her face tighten as she clenched her jaw. She took a deep, calming breath before she launched into a reprimand that would have singed the hair of any of the staff. "Mr. Martin, to move the location of your serving area would require that I move not only three other vendors, but half the circus as well; a circus, I might add, that has utilized the talents of no fewer than 75 people for the better part of the day in order to get everything ready by 7:00. If you think I am going to inconvenience that many people, including myself, just to cater to your pompous ego, you can pack up your _delicacies_ and conduct yourself off the property, forfeiting the extremely generous salary Mr. Warbucks is paying you. Should you desire to fulfill your end of the contract, you will serve where I tell you to serve. Am. I. CLEAR?!"

Mr. Martin didn't have the good sense to know when to concede. His face actually turned purple as his anger reached the boiling point. "Miss Farrell, that is unacceptable!"

Grace turned to one of the staff who had just entered the kitchen. "Saunders, please escort Mr. Martin to his delivery trucks so he may leave the estate with as little _inconvenience_ as possible." She started scribbling on her notes, completely dismissing Mr. Martin, who now looked apoplectic.

Ignoring Saunders' proffered hand stretched in the direction of the back door, Mr. Martin taunted, "If you discharge me, you will have nothing to feed the guests you've invited; guests who expect to be fed!"

Grace coolly assessed the pretentious man, her blue eyes still flashing. "There are two hours before any guests will arrive. Our staff is perfectly competent to replace _the cold cuts and vegetable platters_ you were hired to provide. I'm sure we will manage nicely. Saunders?"

Before Saunders could more forcefully remove him, the caterer gasped, "Miss Farrell, what am I to do with all the food I've prepared?"

"That's your problem." She began to make her way out of the room, still recording more notes on her clipboard.

The rotund little man squirmed his way in front of her, arresting her movement. "Now, dear lady, let's not be hasty. I'm sure we can come to an agreement. I'm willing to look at the area you set aside again before I make any final judgments."

Grace didn't have the chance to tell him she was no longer open to negotiations. Drake, Mr. Warbucks' butler, entered the kitchen and quietly informed her, "Miss Farrell, Mr. Warbucks has arrived and wishes to see the entire staff in the main hall."

The news of Oliver's return sent a pang of excitement through her stomach, and she couldn't help the smile that blossomed. Drake noticed and raised his extensive eyebrows in silent comment. She ignored his pointed look and said, "Thank you, Drake. Please inform the rest of the staff and I will be there directly." Not wanting to see what other critical thoughts Drake could convey with his eyebrows, she turned back to Mr. Martin. "I will deal with you outside in a few minutes." As Drake left to carry out her order, she directed her attention to the staff in the kitchen. "Everyone, please adjourn to the main hall. Mr. Warbucks wishes to have a few words."

Mrs. Pugh turned the burners under several simmering pots to low to keep them from scorching the contents, and wiped her hands on her apron. Three footmen set down the boxes they were about to deliver outside and exited the kitchen. Mary, a maid, hurriedly smoothed her hair back into a semblance of order. Looking toward Grace, she asked, "Do you know what he's going to say?"

Grace was again writing on her notes, attempting to keep all the little details of the celebration in her memory, so she gave Mary only part of her attention.

"I have no idea; probably about Annie's adoption being official."

"Since the staff is so "perfectly competent," you don't suppose he's giving us all a raise, do you?"

Grace looked up to see Mary smiling mischievously. Giving the maid a smile of her own, she remarked, "I wouldn't count on it."

The two women preceded Mrs. Pugh through the door, making their way to the main hall. Grace instantly spotted Oliver standing on the wide marble stairway leading to the upper floors. He'd been gone virtually all day, ostensibly to get himself and Annie out from underfoot so she could plan the party without interruption. Although extremely thoughtful, especially for him, she found she actually missed him, and her smile broadened in response to seeing him. She glanced down at her clipboard, trying to cover the reaction before anyone noticed. She really was going to have to curb her enthusiasm where he was concerned. Even so, a growing part of her reveled in the developing relationship with him, a part that had her all but giggling the entire day, difficult caterers notwithstanding.

Once she had herself under control, she looked up again to see that most of the staff was already in attendance, and both Annie and Mrs. Edwards were standing next to Oliver. This really stirred her curiosity, and as she took a place at the rear of the group, she wondered what Oliver had on his mind.

For his part, Oliver was studiously looking at everyone besides Grace. He was aware of her the moment she entered the main hall, but feared that if he actually looked at her, he'd lose his resolve and be unable to announce his engagement to Katherine like he planned. The idea was that if he told the staff and then the guests at the party, the public scrutiny would encourage him to set his feelings for Grace aside and obligate him to see the engagement through. He despised backing out of an agreement once he made one, but was forced to admit that he already felt a tug on his heart in Grace's direction. He could only hope the arrangement would get easier with time. He sighed inwardly. Best to get on with it. With a zest he didn't feel, he began.

"Thank you, all, for the exemplary job you've done organizing the celebration this evening," he boomed. "I realize the notice was extremely short, but from what I've seen so far, it's going to be an excellent party!"

Mary elbowed Grace lightly and softly whispered, "Perfectly competent!"

Grace gave her a sidelong glance and rolled her eyes, but quickly returned her attention to Oliver, who was speaking again.

"And I _will_ find out who let the cat out of the bag and told Annie."

Annie shook her head vehemently. "Not from me, you won't!"

Everyone laughed, with the exception of Drake, who never laughed. Even Punjab cracked his mysterious smile.

Regarding his daughter through narrowed eyes, Oliver only muttered, "We'll see." His gaze swept over the crowd gathered before him. "But I really asked you here for a special announcement, one that I will also share with our guests later tonight. As you all know, Annie officially became my daughter this morning, and to make her adoption complete, this afternoon I asked Katherine Allen to marry me, and she accepted."

The news was greeted with wide eyes and gasps from most of the staff, including Cora. She turned to her brother in complete astonishment. "Oliver! What a surprise! This is wonderful news!" She threw her arm around her niece's shoulders. "Oh, Annie, you're going to have a mother!"

Annie, who hadn't quite followed the full implications of her father's announcement, asked in confusion, "I am? Who?"

"Katherine Allen, dear. She and your father are engaged."

Annie turned a questioning look in Oliver's direction. "But I thought…." Her gaze shifted out over the crowd as if looking for someone, but it quickly swung back to her father. "Who's Katherine Allen?"

While Warbucks explained, Cora took a moment to survey Oliver's employees herself. Some were offering her brother heartfelt congratulations, while others murmured amongst themselves. Strangely, a few were casting concerned glances over their shoulders in the direction of Miss Farrell, Oliver's secretary. When she took in Miss Farrell's face, Cora drew in a sharp breath.

She'd never seen anyone go so white so quickly. For a second she thought the poor woman was going to pass out, then she saw Miss Farrell take a shuddering breath and drop her gaze to the floor.

_That's odd,_ Cora thought, _I would have predicted Miss Farrell to be happy that Oliver is finally settling down. That is_, _unless…." _The thought skidded to a halt. Cora's eyes widened in despair as it suddenly dawned on her why Grace Farrell chose to spend so much time in her boss' office. _Oh, dear God, what have I done? _She glanced piercingly at Oliver, but his attention was taken up with telling Annie about Katherine. He hadn't seen anything. When she searched out Miss Farrell again, she was in time to see her set a clipboard down on a side table, back slowly away from the gathering and silently exit through a side entrance. Without further thought, Cora leaned in Oliver's direction and said in a low voice, "Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."

Oliver stopped his recitation to Annie long enough to nod, then returned to answering the many questions the child was firing at him. He didn't even notice Grace leave.

* * *

Grace charged blindly across the veranda, deftly avoiding the multiple workmen and circus performers putting the finishing touches on the preparations for the party. She didn't see any of them, so intent was she in getting away from the house, desperately trying to distance herself from the reality of Oliver's news.

The noise and confusion of the preparations fell away as she all but ran deeper into the expansive gardens. She finally stopped at a bench set under a large weeping willow. Despite her breath coming in painful gasps, she didn't sit down, but fretfully paced back and forth. Her thoughts raced wildly in twenty directions, chasing each other until she felt like she was going mad. Through it all she understood one truth; she was an incredible fool.

How could she have misread Oliver so horribly? At this point in her career she could practically read his thoughts before he had them, and yet she hadn't seen this coming at all. Her mind flew through every encounter they'd shared in the past few days, looking for any sign of half-hearted intentions on his part. She couldn't recall any. Ever since she'd asked him to adopt Annie, he'd been warm, considerate and open. And she had fallen in love with him all over again. The previous night he'd held her just as he held Annie! Even this morning she hadn't detected anything amiss, certainly nothing that would intimate what he planned to do.

_He's marrying Katherine Allen! _Grace dropped to the bench as despair flooded through her. Her chest tightened and she couldn't breathe. Leaning over, she braced herself with her hands on the bench, struggling to get enough air into her lungs, feeling like she was being smothered in a nightmare.

"Miss Farrell?"

Grace whipped her head around at the sound. "Mrs. Edwards!" she gasped. "I…didn't hear you coming." A little dizzy, she quickly resumed her pose, still striving to control her breathing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Cora hesitated, then said, "I saw you leave the house. You didn't look well."

Eyes closed, sipping small amounts of air through clenched teeth, Grace hedged, "It's been a busy day. I just needed some fresh air."

Cora regarded Grace for a moment, then sat down next to her with a sigh. Looking at the younger woman sympathetically, she asked quietly, "How long have you been in love with my brother?"

Grace shot her a horrified look, then quickly averted her eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

Cora smiled gently. "You turned white as a sheet when Oliver announced his engagement. It was obvious to anyone paying attention."

Grace grimaced but didn't say anything.

"This is all my fault," Cora went on. "If I'd known how you feel, I never would have suggested Katherine to him in the first place."

Grace focused wide eyes on her. "You…?" She drug her gaze away again, feeling the first sting of hot tears. She gripped the bench so tightly her knuckles turned white. "You're not responsible, Mrs. Edwards. Oliver…," she paused and swallowed painfully. "Mr. Warbucks has long been fond of Mrs. Allen. I doubt you had to say much to persuade him."

"But I put the idea into his head."

"He would have drawn the same conclusion eventually."

Cora heaved a sad sigh. "You are going to tell him, aren't you?"

"Tell him what?" Grace asked numbly.

"Why, how you feel!" as if this was the obvious course of action.

For the first time since their conversation began, Grace showed a spark of something besides shock. "Absolutely not!" she stated fiercely.

"But Grace,…."

Grace whirled on Cora, her face drawn in agony. "What am I going to tell him, Mrs. Edwards? That I've been in love with him for years? Then what? Do you honestly think he's going to choose his private secretary over a woman who's his equal in nearly every way? I know Katherine Allen. She's intelligent, attractive and shares many things in common with him. They can talk for hours without visiting the same subject twice. She challenges him in a way few others do. He enjoys being with her. In addition she's a _millionairess_! Their combined fortunes will truly be a power to be reckoned with." The first tear leaked out of Grace's eye and she agitatedly wiped it away. "He would be a fool to choose me over her, and we both know Oliver Warbucks is no fool." Taking a shaky breath, she concluded softly, "There's simply nothing to tell him."

Cora contemplated the woman before her. She couldn't bear to think that she was the cause of the suffering written so plainly on Miss Farrell's face. "But you love him," she entreated. "Surely that will mean something."

Grace actually snorted in disbelief. "Mrs. Edwards, your brother is so successful because his decisions are guided by everything but emotion. Mine will hardly be meaningful enough to sway him."

Unwilling to let the matter go, Cora continued, "Grace, I really think…."

"I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Edwards," Grace brutally cut her off, "but I have a lot of work to do before any guests begin to arrive. I'm afraid I must return to the house."

With that, Grace rose from the bench and started back the way she'd come, a swipe at a final tear the only outward sign of the distress she was experiencing.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

CLOSING THE DOOR

The next two hours went by in a blur. Later Grace could recall nothing about them beyond telling Mr. Martin that she didn't care where he served the food and to leave her alone. Returning to the kitchen, she outwardly continued to direct the party preparations as if nothing was wrong. Inwardly she fought hard to keep the misery she was feeling from overwhelming her.

For the most part she was successful, but when she retired to her rooms to change for the party, she caught sight of the dress she planned to wear hanging from a hook on her closet door, and fresh tears rose unbidden behind her eyes. Despite the fact that it had been purchased almost a year prior, she'd been saving it for a special occasion, and had yet to wear it. When Oliver suggested tonight's party to celebrate Annie's adoption, Grace knew this was the event to debut it. Secretly she hoped Oliver would like it, but as she fingered the soft material of the white creation, she realized she wouldn't be wearing it after all. Grace felt as if the dress represented all the hopes she'd pinned on a relationship developing between them, and now that a romantic liaison was no longer a possibility, there was no reason to wear it. The tears finally overpowered her control and cascaded down her cheeks. She let them go as she returned the dress to her closet.

_I am such a fool,_ she thought as her hand skimmed down the beautiful fabric one last time. Looking back with an analytical eye, she realized Oliver had offered her nothing beyond some smiles and a few hand squeezes, but she'd taken what little he'd given and let her imagination spiral. _How could I ever have fancied that Oliver Warbucks would form a romantic attachment to me? What could I possibly offer him? _Letting go of the dress, she closed the door on that portion of her closet and opened the side that contained her work clothes. Pulling out a dark blue floral print blouse and complimentary skirt, she surveyed them critically. _Much more appropriate for your position in the house. _Her eyes fell on the closed door that hid the party dress, but she determinedly wiped her tears away as she drug herself to her dressing room.

Moments later she emerged in stark contrast to the woman who'd nearly danced out the bedroom door that morning. Gone was the spring-like lavender dress she'd worn all day. In its place was the prim business outfit that far better fit her mood. Once again her hair was swept up in the standard style she wore while on duty.

_Or used to wear, _Grace thought sadly. It was all she could do to keep the tears from starting again as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She looked pale and drawn, her eyes haunted. Although thinking it didn't really matter how she looked, she managed to muster enough energy to touch up her make-up.

Grace took one last glance before she departed for the kitchen again. _At least you're presentable, which is all you need to be as a secretary. And you should act like the secretary you were hired to be, not pining over someone you can't have, and never could!_ With that parting shot, she strode purposefully out the door, firmly intending to become "Miss Farrell" again.

If only she could make her heart follow that directive.

The guests started arriving shortly after Grace returned downstairs. Several of the maids gave her startled glances when she entered the kitchen from the servants' stairway. Knowing their manager hadn't intended to work at all during the evening, her appearance took them by surprise. More surprising was the change in her demeanor and attire, but no one was foolish enough to comment on either, until Annie barged into the room at full tilt, followed closely by the ever present Sandy. She spotted Grace right away and made her way toward her.

"Oh, Miss Farrell, the other orphans just got here and they look so cute! Where did they get…?" Her question skidded to a halt just as she did in front of Grace. A wounded look immediately crossed the red head's face. "You're not wearing your party dress!"

The straightforward comment caught Grace unprepared and some of the distress she was desperate to hide leaked out in her startled countenance. "Uh, no. I'm not."

"But why?" Annie asked, confused. "You were so excited about it, and it's so pretty."

"I, uh, I decided it's not…very…appropriate to wear…while working," Grace stumbled over her explanation, hoping Annie would accept it at face value and let it go. She should have known better.

Annie noticed the hesitation, and looked sharply at her friend. "But we're having a party. Why are you working?"

Aware of the sidelong glances of those staff members present in the kitchen who were listening to every word, Grace managed to gather herself, making her next statement at least sound plausible. "Annie, I usually keep Mr. Warbucks' parties running smoothly, and I can do that best from in here."

Not to be put off, Annie cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you coming out to the party?"

Turning back to the table that contained her clipboard, she checked the time table for all the events scheduled to take place throughout the evening. "I may not be able to get away." She caught site of Annie's obvious disappointment and her resolve weakened. "But I'll try," she promised, offering a tiny smile. "Now," Grace continued briskly, giving Sandy a pat, "why don't you show your friends your room before heading out to enjoy the circus?"

Although still not convinced her friend was telling the truth, Annie finally let it go.

"Daddy Warbucks said he has a few things to take care of in the office and then he wants to go outside with me. I'll see you later. Right?"

"I'll try. I promise."

"Okay!" Annie motioned to Sandy and the two bolted out the door.

_So that's where he is,_ Grace thought silently in reference to Annie's disclosure of her father's location. She was surprised that she hadn't at least heard a directive from him regarding the party. Not that she was eager to see him, but she was beginning to wonder at his uncharacteristic silence.

As it turned out, she didn't have long to wait. Mrs. Greer entered the kitchen shortly after Annie and Sandy's departure and approached her. "Miss Farrell, Mr. Warbucks just informed me that he will be tied up on the phone for the next several minutes, and Mrs. Allen is due to arrive shortly. Is someone available to greet her?"

Grace stared at the housekeeper dumbly. For some reason, it never occurred to her that Mrs. Allen would attend the party. _Of course, how could he announce the engagement without her here?_ she groaned inwardly. Just when she thought the day couldn't possibly get any worse, it dawned on her that, as she and Mrs. Allen were already acquainted, she was the best person on staff to welcome the future Mrs. Warbucks.

Apparently, judging by the look on her face, Mrs. Greer thought so as well.

Swallowing her hurt around the growing lump in her throat, Grace nodded. "I'll do it. Let me know…."

The house phone rang, and Mrs. Greer walked across the room to answer it. After a short conversation, she thanked the caller and replaced the receiver. Turning, she informed Grace, "Mrs. Allen's car has just passed the gate, Miss Farrell."

Hoping she looked more enthused than she felt, Grace slowly left the kitchen, making her way to the main hall. Drake was holding the door open for several guests, pointing them to the east portico. As she approached from the dining room, she heard him welcome Katherine Allen personally

"Ah, Mrs. Allen, welcome. May I take your wrap?"

"Hello, Drake. Thank you." Turning, she allowed him to remove her satin stole, revealing a stunning midnight blue dress beneath. Taking in the nearly empty hall, she deduced, "Unless I'm the first to arrive, I take it the party is outside?"

Drake actually cracked a smile. "Indeed ma'am."

Before he could direct her further, Grace smoothly interjected, "Mrs. Allen, good evening."

Katherine smiled warmly. "Miss Farrell, it's wonderful to see you again." Noting her fiancé's absence, she remarked with a smile, "Don't tell me Oliver's _already_ sending his secretary to deal with me. Although, knowing Oliver, I should have expected that!".

Grace blanched slightly at the casual but blatant reference not only to the engagement, but also her position. Faltering only a second, she responded. "Not at all, Mrs. Allen. Mr. Warbucks is unfortunately detained with business, but will momentarily be escorting Annie outside. Please feel free to enjoy the party on the east veranda until he and Annie are able to join you." Gesturing with her arm, she began leading Katherine to the side doors, opened wide to the night air.

Judging by the sound of the revelry coming from the gardens, the party was well under way. Lively, circus-like music wafted across the area, complementing the brightly costumed performers as they executed incredible feats of daring and skill. A series of loud pops rent the air, followed by cries of "Ohh!" from the crowd as the fire eater breathed flames. A quick glance told Grace that not only were the children in attendance delighting in the circus, but the adults were as well. She could see President and Mrs. Roosevelt speaking with the chief of police and Mayor LaGuardia, and just caught the tail end of a string of Annie's friends from the orphanage as they went tearing by, headed for the cotton candy vendor. Everything down to Tarra the elephant seemed to be going well.

Grace surveyed the crowd one last time, and determined nothing needed her immediate attention. Knowing if she didn't leave now, there was the likelihood of getting caught with Oliver and Mrs. Allen together, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. Facing the older woman again, she said, "You'll have to excuse me, Mrs. Allen. I still have some details to attend to. Enjoy the evening." Without waiting for an excusal, she hurriedly retreated in the direction from which she came, leaving Oliver's fiancée standing alone in the doorway.

Unknown to either woman, the man in question stood leaning against the second floor railing, just out of their sight, watching them. The last thing Oliver wanted at the moment was to encounter Grace and Katherine at the same time. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd been hiding from Grace ever since the staff meeting at which he'd announced the engagement. At this point, he didn't trust himself not to give away more of his emotions than was proper where she was concerned. Although knowing he'd have to face her at some point, he wanted to put it off as long as possible.

This fear didn't stop him from observing her from afar, however, and he saw with raised eyebrows that both women had chosen practically the same color of dress for the evening. Katherine looked lovely, as usual, and Grace…. Oliver scrutinized her more closely. Grace was wearing a business suit, and he noticed that her hair was swept up once again in her usual daily style. He hadn't seen that hairstyle for several days. _That's odd_, he mused. She'd always attended his functions dressed appropriately. Tonight it looked as if she was working.

He frowned as he heard Grace excuse herself and quickly head back towards the kitchen, leaving Katherine to enter the party on her own. He found himself staring not after his fiancée, but after his secretary, pondering her behavior. He realized not once in the brief exchange had she offered Katherine any sort of congratulations, or even mentioned the engagement at all.

* * *

Two hours later Grace knew she couldn't put off appearing at the party any longer. At this point in the evening there was nothing for her to do but plan the clean-up detail, and the staff already had that well in hand. From reports of those working outside, Annie had received her new locket and Oliver – _Mr. Warbucks,_ Grace fiercely corrected herself – had announced the engagement some time ago. It should be relatively safe for her to go outside for a few moments. Besides, she'd promised Annie.

She stepped out the kitchen door and made her way around the side of the house. The circus performers were still going strong, and to her surprise, Miss Hannigan was riding the elephant, with a watchful Punjab hovering close by!

_Now that's an unlikely pair if there ever was one!_ Grace thought in amusement. She supposed Punjab could at least keep an eye on the garish woman, if not keep her out of trouble. Perhaps before the evening was over she could introduce Miss Hannigan to Mr. Martin. She smiled slyly at that idea, considering it poetic justice for both individuals.

She was still smiling as she scanned the crowd for Annie. Before she could find Annie, Annie found her.

"Miss Farrell, you're here!"

Almost instantly Grace was surrounded by five little girls, all Annie's friends from the orphanage and all talking at once. Grace did a silent mental count and came up two short from the previous evening.

"Wait," Grace interrupted the cacophony, "there are only five of you with Annie. Who's missing?"

Kate piped up, "Pepper and Duffy are trying to get to the balcony by climbing that tree over there." She pointed in the direction Grace had come from, indicating a towering oak with limbs stretching in every direction, including toward a third story balcony.

"I told them they'd get in trouble, but Pepper never listens to anyone!" Molly proclaimed indignantly.

Grace could just pick out two small forms inching their way across a perilously thin branch about 40 feet above the ground. She could see that although the branch did end only a foot away from the balcony railing, it was far too thin to hold the girls' weight. "Good lord! What are they thinking?!" She quickly made her way to the tree, followed by all the orphans. Standing under the branch in question, she peered up through the leaves. "Pepper, Duffy, get down here this instant!"

Duffy took her eyes off her next handhold long enough to spot the pretty lady that had helped them find Annie the night before. "Uh oh. We've been ratted out."

Pepper looked down at their friends far below. "So? What's she gonna to do, send us back to the orphanage? We're goin' back tonight anyway. Let's keep goin'," and she continued making her way toward her goal, the balcony railing. It was getting closer every inch she crawled. If only the darn branch would stop moving back and forth in the wind! The motion was making her dizzy.

"Pepper, I heard that," Grace called, "and if you don't turn around right now, you'll be lucky if I _let_ you go back to the orphanage tonight."

Pepper scoffed at the threat. "She's bluffin'," she conferred to Duffy. "C'mon, we're almost there."

Seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with Pepper, Grace switched to Duffy. "Duffy, that branch is much too thin to hold both you and Pepper. If it snaps you're going to break your necks before you even hit the ground," referring to the multiple thick branches between the orphans and the bottom of the tree. "_Turn around, now!_"

A sudden gust of wind caused the branch the girls were practically laying on to sway from side to side. "Whoa!" Duffy grabbed it hard and closed her eyes tight. She actually heard it groan! "Pepper, I think she's right. I'm goin' back."

Pepper, who'd lost her grip on the rough branch when the wind grabbed it, was scrambling to get a purchase. When she finally did she glanced at Duffy, whose face was so white Pepper could see her freckles even in the semi-darkness of the party lights. "Yeah," she said, her voice shaking, "I'm right behind you." She started travelling backwards, but only made it a few feet before she ran into Duffy.

"Duffy, move."

"I can't," came the plaintive reply.

"There's no way around ya."

"No. I can't."

Pepper looked back along her own body to Duffy, who was still in the same spot she'd been when they were discovered. "What d'ya mean, ya can't?"

"I can't make my fingers let go." The wind chose that moment to send the branch swaying once again, and Duffy actually let out a yelp, gripping the branch tighter.

"I said _move!_"

"And I said I can't!" Duffy practically sobbed.

"Oh, for the love of…. Hey, lady!" Pepper yelled down through the leaves.

"Her name's Miss Farrell," Duffy squeaked.

"Miss Farrell!"

"Yes?"

"Duffy's too scared to come down!"

"I'm not too scared," Duffy argued, "I just can't move!"

"Okay, fine," Pepper placated her friend. To Grace she yelled, "She's so scared she can't move!"

_Oh, dear. _ Grace assessed Duffy's prone position. "Duffy," she called soothingly, "just loosen your hands and slowly move back toward the trunk."

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. The branch gets thicker behind you. It will be okay, honey, but you have to move."

The wind gusted again, and, despite her best efforts, the next thing Pepper knew she was hanging from the branch upside down! She heard Tessie give a high-pitched squeal and July call out, "Hang on!" but she paid them scant attention as she grappled frantically to keep her arms around the branch. She finally found a purchase with her hands and hauled herself back upright. Breathing heavily, scared half out of her wits, she growled, "Duffy, if ya don't fall, I'm gonna kill ya!"

"Go ahead," Duffy muttered, her face pressed into the bark. "It'll be faster that way."

Below them, Grace realized Duffy would not be talked to the ground. Knowing the girls couldn't safely traverse the branch to the balcony, she scanned the tree, observing that a relatively thick branch was located about four to five feet below the one holding the girls. If she could get to that branch, she should be able to lever Duffy down, and Pepper could shinny to the trunk where there were plenty of hand and foot holds. Coming to a quick decision, she called, "Girls, hang on. I'm coming up!" and made her way to the base of the tree.

Annie followed close behind. "What're you gonna do, Miss Farrell? Are you gonna climb the tree?!"

"That branch is so thin I can't reach them from the balcony, and with the wind picking up, they need to come down as quickly as possible. I don't know how else to get to them." Grace stretched for the first limb, but couldn't quite touch it. Reassessing the tree and her position, she kicked off her shoes. "Annie, Kate, boost me up to the first branch." Jumping up, she grabbed the lowest bough and felt the girls push against her back, shoving her up. She wrapped one leg around the limb and pulled herself to the top. Standing, she looked back down. "Annie, find the Asp and Punjab and bring them here. I'll see what I can do in the meantime. Hopefully I can talk them down without needing to climb all the way up there. It's been a long time since I've actually climbed a tree." _Like about 20 years!" _she grimaced.

Annie took off running while Grace assessed the branches immediately above. Her best bet was a limb at shoulder height. Bracing her right arm against it and her left on a lower but much thinner branch, she tried to raise her leg high enough for her foot to get a good purchase on the trunk, but her skirt refused to stretch enough to allow the movement. Pulling it up to bunch around her thighs, she tried again, but still couldn't get her foot high enough. She heard several stitches break as a seam ripped. There was only one answer. Pausing to survey the party a distance away, she sent up a plaintive plea to the heavens. _Please, God, don't let anyone see me. _Carefully Grace reached behind and unfastened the skirt, pushing it down over her hips one handed, and gently stepping out of it. She kicked it to the ground where July caught it. She considered for a few heartbeats, and, with another nervous glance towards the party, discreetly reached up and peeled her stockings offShe dropped the stockings to Kate. Dressed only in her blouse and slip, she raised her leg again and easily found a good foothold on a knot on the trunk. Within seconds she was standing five feet higher in the tree, the sharp bark digging painfully into her bare feet. The girls were still several branches away and Grace could swear the wind was becoming stronger. She saw lightning score the horizon in the distance.

_This is the stupidest thing I've ever done,_ she thought as she cautiously pulled herself higher into the tree. Finally she was on the branch she'd originally picked out from the ground. However it was more of a distance to the girls than had appeared from below. Duffy was actually above her head, and still gripping her limb for all she was worth. Grace had to smile at the sheer determination of the youngster.

"Duffy, open your eyes. I'm right below you."

One of Duffy's eyes wedged open enough for her to take in Grace peering up at her. The other eye popped open in surprise. "Miss Farrell, I didn't think ya'd make it."

"Me either," Pepper agreed, her voice ringing with approval. "You sure got guts, lady."

"Have guts, Pepper," Grace automatically corrected

"That's what I said." Pepper surveyed Grace from her perch. "Where are your clothes? Did you come up here _barefoot?_"

"Yes, and my feet are getting cold, so I need you to sit up, Duffy, and swing both legs onto this side of the branch. That way you can slide down while I catch you."

"No, I can't!"

"Duffy!" Grace exclaimed in exasperation. "You can't stay in this tree all night and I'm not leaving without you. It look looks like a storm is moving in and we probably don't have much time. Now sit up and swing your legs over!"

Trained to respond to a commanding voice, although far gentler and less sneering than Miss Hannigan's, Duffy loosened her hold on the tree and slowly peeled her body away from the semi-safety her inclined position had offered her. She could hear voices far below, and glanced down to see the tall, oddly dressed man from the previous night arrive with Annie, as well as Annie's new father and another lady in a shiny dress. She was still looking down while throwing her hind leg over the bough like Miss Farrell had told her when a wave of vertigo hit her. Before she knew it, she was falling forward, branches and leaves spinning all around her. She heard a shout and she could feel the rough bark scrape against her as she slid off the branch into a free fall. Something caught her, but now she was swinging and the branches were moving and the wind was blowing and wow, was she dizzy! Duffy couldn't tell what was up and what was down. In order to make her world stop moving, she grabbed the first thing within reach. That happened to be Grace's midsection

Luckily Grace had been reaching up to help Duffy when the orphan suddenly started to slide off the branch! With one hand braced on the bough for support, she caught Duffy in the crook of her other arm. Unfortunately Duffy's weight threw her backwards and one foot slipped off so she was dangling by one hand from above and braced with one foot from below. Before she could swing their combined weight back above her center of gravity and regain a standing position on the branch, she felt her hand begin to slip from above. She cast about wildly for something else to grab onto, but no other branches were close enough. Just as she thought there was no way to prevent her from falling all the way to the bottom, Pepper grabbed her wrist and heaved backwards, anchoring them until Grace could bring her free leg onto the branch. Once she was standing again, her eyes met Pepper's in ample gratitude.

"Thank you!" she gasped. "Your timing is impeccable."

Pepper shot her a saucy grin. "I don't have no idea what that means, but it was no sweat, Miss Farrell. You can share my tree any day!"

Knowing this was high praise coming from the tough girl, Grace returned her grin. "Now I think it's time to get down." Pepper answered by clamoring over to the trunk and shimmying down to Grace's branch.

Between the two of them they handed Duffy down branch by branch. Duffy rallied enough to help them, so that by the time Punjab lifted her down from the last branch, she was able to enjoy swinging through the air in the strong arms of the giant Indian. He set her down between Mr. Warbucks and Annie, who clapped her on the back.

"Leapin' Lizards! That was amazing!" Annie enthused. "I thought you and Miss Farrell were goners for sure!"

"So did I," Duffy agreed shakily. Soon all of her friends were around her, congratulating her on her brush with death.

Pepper dropped down with the aid of Annie's father. "Duffy, I'm never climbin' a tree with you again! You're terrible at it."

"Well it's not like I've had so many to practice on! And it was your idea in the first place!"

"Girls!" Katherine placed a hand on the shoulder of each orphan. "I think that's enough for one evening. Surely there's some ice cream left that needs finishing off. Annie, why don't you take your…_friends_ and see what you can find before the fireworks begin."

"Oh boy! Let's go!" Annie grabbed Molly's hand and started leading them away. "You can tell me all about what happened. I missed everything until Miss Farrell got up to you."

The girls trouped after Annie, Pepper's voice trailing away as she said, "Miss Farrell might look all girly, but she sure can climb a tree!"

_Indeed_, Oliver thought as Punjab gently lifted Grace down from the last branch and set her on her feet. He was just recovering from the sheer terror that had sliced through him when she suddenly lost her footing. Now that she was once again on the ground and safe, he was trembling so badly he had to grasp his hands behind his back to keep them still. Luckily no one could see how heavily his heart was still hammering against his chest.

Unaware of her fiancé's reaction, Katherine took in Grace appraisingly. "That was quite a rescue, Miss Farrell. You'll have to add tree climbing to your resume."

Sagging heavily against the trunk, attempting to get her own thudding heart under control, Grace shook her head. "I never want to do that again! I think I need to sit down." She slid to the ground without preamble.

Oliver leaned down in concern. "Miss Farrell, are you alright?"

"I'm just trying to stop shaking." She took a deep breath. "I didn't know I was going to spend two nights in a row with my heart in my throat."

_I know what you mean. _ Almost of its own accord, Oliver's hand reached for hers, as if to physically reassure him that she was unharmed, but he caught himself before they touched.

Not having seen Oliver's near slip from her position behind him, Katherine accused, "That was an awful risk you took. You should have let one of the footmen bring the girl down, or better, one of the circus men; they are quite acrobatic."

Still breathing hard, Grace defended, "I did send Annie after Punjab and the Asp, but I didn't think about the circus performers. There wasn't time with the wind picking up. I was worried the limb might break. They needed to get down quickly and Duffy was too scared to move. I just…reacted."

"Katherine's right, that was extremely risky," Oliver observed, his tone serious, "but everyone is safe and no worse for the wear." He smiled softly. "Well done."

At the compliment Grace unwittingly looked into Mr. Warbucks' eyes, and found herself momentarily lost and unable to look away. "Thank you," she whispered.

Realizing he was staring, Oliver self-consciously cleared his throat and abruptly straightened. "Katherine, we should check on the girls. Lord only knows what they've gotten into in the meantime."

Katherine nodded, and took his arm. To Grace she said, "You might want to return to the house and clean up, and you should probably put your skirt back on," Katherine noted with a slight smile. "Although for a good reason, a blouse and chemise aren't exactly proper attire for the current celebration!"

Startled, Oliver saw that Katherine was right. Grace was missing her skirt, as well as…. "Where are your shoes?" he blurted. "Did you climb that tree _barefoot_?!"

"What?" Grace asked, still somewhat dazed. She followed Mr. Warbucks' gaze and saw her bare feet peeking out from under her slip. Only then was she fully cognizant of her state of undress. Her cheeks flamed a dull red and her eyes grew round with alarm. "Oh, yes, my shoes," she stuttered. "I…I took them off. It was…uh…it was easier to climb without them." She looked around for her skirt and found it in a heap where Kate had obviously dropped it near the base of the trunk. Quickly grabbing it, she stood, then stared at it for a heartbeat, wondering vaguely if it would be better to put it back on or to simply retreat. Somehow getting dressed in front of Mr. Warbucks was far more embarrassing than appearing half undressed before him.

Needless to say, this was not how she envisioned their first post-engagement meeting.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Farrell?" Katherine asked in sincere concern.

Grace raised her eyes to Mrs. Allen and blinked. Then she gathered her faculties and took command of the situation. "Yes, yes, of course. I just need to find my shoes and stockings. The girls must have dropped them somewhere." Before she could begin searching, the Asp suddenly appeared, holding both articles out to her. "Thank you, Asp," she answered smoothly, as if receiving her stockings from her boss' bodyguard was an everyday occurrence.

She stepped into her shoes, then spent another few seconds regarding her skirt. _Oh, for heaven's sake!_ she thought in exasperation, and quickly slid it over her head, yanking part of her hair out of the pins holding her upsweep in place. Grace sighed in resignation as several pins fell to the ground, wondering if the day could possibly get any worse.

As she fastened the skirt around her waist she felt the rest of her hair slide out of the few remaining pins until most of it was hanging to her shoulders. She glimpsed a hairpin dangling from the ends of a curl and yanked it away in annoyance.

Oliver watched in fascination as Grace corrected one thing only to have something else unravel. He shuddered to think what could happen to her blouse should she remain in the garden much longer!

Laughing, Katherine reached out and caught another pin as it fell toward the ground. "Miss Farrell, perhaps you should return to the house before something else comes undone." Handing the pin to Oliver's secretary, she turned to her fiancé, saying, "Oliver, we really should return to the party."

"Of course," he said amiably.

"Daddy Warbucks!" Annie came tearing across the lawn toward the adults, Sandy hot on her heals, his leash trailing uselessly behind. "Punjab said the fireworks are about to start! Come on, we can watch them from the fountain!" She grabbed Grace's hand along with her father's. "You come too, Miss Farrell. We can all watch them together." She started leading them in the direction of the fountain.

Grace hung back, tugging her hand out of Annie's. "Oh, Annie, I can't. I'm a mess, and besides, I have to supervise the clean-up. You go with your father and Mrs. Allen. Here," she picked up Sandy's leash, holding it out to Annie. "Take Sandy and keep him close so he doesn't get scared."

Annie took the leash, eyeing Grace plaintively. "But I want you to come too."

"Now, Annie," Katherine remonstrated, "you heard Miss Farrell. Come along or they'll start without us."

Annie gave Grace such a pleading look that she leaned down and said in a low voice meant only for the girl. "After the party, I'll tuck you in, just the two of us."

That seemed to lighten Annie's mood. "Promise?"

"Pinky swear," and Grace held out her pinky to crook it around Annie's. "Get going, or you'll miss them!"

"Okay. Come on, Daddy Warbucks!" Annie pulled him in the direction of the party, laughing as Sandy ran circles around her legs, getting all tangled in the leash.

Grace watched with a heavy heart as the trio walk away. The first firework exploded into the night sky, showering colored sparks everywhere. The Asp appeared at her shoulder, watching as the bright colors fell to the ground.

"You could stand with me and watch them," he said to Grace. "I don't mind that your hair has fallen down," he grinned.

"Without my stockings? Don't be absurd!" Grace returned his grin. "But I appreciate the offer."

"Any time." He gave Grace's arm a friendly squeeze and followed his boss across the lawn.

Grace's smile disappeared as another colorful explosion rent the sky. A lock of hair fell across her eyes, momentarily blocking her view. She angrily pushed it away, causing more leaves and a twig to come loose from the strands and fall the ground. She sighed unhappily and turned back towards the house. This had to be the worst day of her life.

* * *

An hour and a half later the guests had departed and the cleaning had proceeded to the point that Grace could actually sit down. She was exhausted, and thanks to her hike into the tree, every bone in her body ached. Her physical ache was nothing in comparison to the ache in her heart, she thought as she despondently surveyed the sandwich Mrs. Pugh had just shoved under her nose.

"Miss Farrell, you look like you've been through the ringer. I know for a fact you haven't eaten since this morning and I expect you to polish off that sandwich before you move from that chair!"

Grace looked into the motherly face of Mr. Warbucks' cook. "Mrs. Pugh, what would you do if I refuse?"

"Serve you nothing but corned beef and cabbage for a full week!" the portly woman said with conviction as she plopped herself down in the chair across the table.

Grace actually chuckled. "In that case, I better start eating."

"Oh, my feet are killing me!" Cecille sighed, falling into the chair next to Grace. She removed one shoe and rubbed her foot, moaning in contentment. She eyed the sandwich her manager was taking small bites of with longing. "Please tell me there's some more food left. I'm starved!"

Mrs. Pugh nodded towards several platters on the counter, waiting to be wrapped and refrigerated. "Help yourself. As much as I would love to shove all those sandwiches up Mr. Martin's arrogant nose, I'd hate to waste the food!"

Cecille giggled and jumped up, her sore feet forgotten, grabbing three large sandwiches. She handed one to Annette and one to Sam, a footman, who had just ambled tiredly into the kitchen, before settling back into her chair.

"Thanks!" Sam said enthusiastically. "You always know just what I need, sweetheart." He sent her a saucy wink.

"Don't get any ideas, Romeo," Annette shot toward her friend. "I understand Cecille's eye has been caught by a certain pilot who was at the party tonight." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully at her fellow maid.

Cecille smiled in satisfaction. "Joe Anderson is the most handsome man I've ever seen!" she enthused. "And he has the most fascinating stories of his travels. He could write a book about all the things he's done."

Grace sniggered into the cup of coffee Drake had just placed on the table for her.

"You have a different opinion, Miss Farrell?" Cecille asked archly.

Her lips sporting a knowing smile, Grace disclosed, "Cecille, Joe makes half that stuff up. Not that his life isn't exciting, but he's far more adept at spinning adventures than he is at participating in them. He's actually not much of a risk taker, especially when it comes to his plane."

Both Cecille and Annette were looking at Grace in wonder. Finally Annette remarked, "It sounds like you know this Joe fairly well."

Grace nodded as she took another bite of her sandwich. "Two years ago he flew me home from Ohio in a snowstorm. Or rather, we were trying to beat a snowstorm," she corrected, swallowing. "It was a harrowing seven hours. We talked to each other as a distraction from the horrible turbulence."

"You got to know him that well from seven hours in a plane?"

"Oh, no." Grace carefully swallowed a small sip of the scalding coffee. "We dated for a few months after that whenever he was in town."

"You're kidding!" Cecille blurted indelicately. "You actually dated Joe Anderson?!"

Grace looked up at the tone and caught the stares of the rest of the workers gathered at the table. "Does that surprise you?"

"Well, to be honest, yes." Cecille looked at her manager in puzzlement. Without thought to the consequences, she commented, "Miss Farrell, you don't seem to be Joe's type. No offense," she added quickly, realizing too late what she'd said.

To the maid's relief, her manager smiled. "I'm not." Grace rolled her eyes. "He never said it, but I think he found me a bit boring. Needless to say, a secretary's life doesn't quite measure up to the excitement of a dare-devil pilot, even a conservative one."

"Is that why you don't see each other anymore?" Annette asked, fascinated.

Grace shook her head. "There was…someone else," she ended quietly after a slight pause.

Annette's eyes grew wide. "He had a girl in another port, so to speak?"

Grace looked down at her plate, shuffling the food back and forth, while her cheeks turned a light pink. "It wasn't him."

Cecille's jaw dropped at the admission. "You were seeing two men at the same time?" This was a side of Miss Farrell she'd never suspected.

"No," Grace quickly corrected the woman. "No, I would never do that." Grace struggled to clarify herself. "I felt it wasn't right to date Joe while I was…emotionally…attached…to another man."

When it became evident she wasn't going to explain further, George, the head gardener, who'd joined the group in time to hear the saga of Joe Anderson, asked, "So what happened with the other guy?"

"The other guy?" Grace asked, mystified.

"Yeah, the one you broke off with Joe for."

"Oh. Well, nothing."

"Nothing?" Cecille exclaimed, dumbfounded. "You gave up _Joe Anderson_ for this other guy and nothing happened?! Why? Didn't he like you?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean I don't know. It's just that…the other man…I never told him," Grace stumbled, "and he doesn't…he didn't know that I…." She stopped, deflating, unable to explain the situation without giving too much away. "Forget I mentioned it." She rose abruptly and made to leave, but her movement was arrested by Mrs. Pugh.

"Are you going to stand by and let him make the biggest mistake of his life?" the cook asked quietly.

Grace's eyes slid shut with dismay. Her voice laced with despair, she said, "There's nothing I can do."

"You can tell him how you feel."

Glancing quickly away, she wondered why everyone thought that was an option. "I can't."

"Can't, or won't?"

Grace looked at the older woman sharply. "Telling him would do nothing but embarrass both us and jeopardize my job. Additionally, it simply wouldn't make a difference. You know how he is," Grace said resolutely, sinking into her seat. "It appears that he makes rash decisions, but actually he thinks things through very deeply, and once he makes a decision, he doesn't change his mind. He wants to marry Katherine Allen, and nothing I say or do is going to change that."

"Perhaps he doesn't realize he has an alternative."

Sam looked at the others in consternation. "Wait, are you saying the other guy is…is…?"

Mrs. Pugh nodded sagely.

Everyone grew deathly silent as comprehension dawned. Grace dropped her head into her hands. "You haven't seen them together like I have. They _fit_." She raised her eyes to those gathered around the table. "Mrs. Allen's perfect for him; she's sophisticated, beautiful and wealthy beyond imagination. I can't compete with that," she concluded, her face written in anguish. "I won't even try, and I don't want to hear any more about it." She stood again, determinedly squaring her shoulders. "Thank you for the sandwich, Mrs. Pugh, but I'm not very hungry. I promised Annie I would tuck her in. I'll see everyone in the morning." She started for the servants' stairway.

"He doesn't love her," Mrs. Pugh called after her.

Grace paused at the threshold of the first step. Not bothering to turn around, she muttered, "I'm not so sure about that."

Amid the silent stares of the staff, she disappeared without another word.

Sam sighed gravely. "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

The next morning started as usual for Mr. Warbucks and Miss Farrell. Seemingly by silent agreement, their relationship reverted back to its former status at the time of Annie's arrival.

Having been absent from the business for several days while dealing with Annie, there were many pressing issues that needed Warbucks' immediate attention, and he dove right in, keeping the entire office team hectically busy the better part of the next few days. There was no mention of his engagement or Katherine Allen as they dealt with the business at hand.

Annie regularly made appearances in the office, asking her father to explain his multiple business undertakings or generally helping. She could often be found dogging either him or Miss Farrell around the house. She even accompanied Warbucks to Washington D.C. for a meeting with the president's advisory council on the new Civilian Corp.

As the only republican in the entire administration, Oliver had his work cut out for him, constantly needing to reign in everyone else with a heavy dose of financial reality. He soon gained the moniker "director of doom" due to his many budget driven speeches.

After several lengthy battles, he finally convinced the rest of the council to eliminate the use of children from the work force. Not only was the idea impractical, but it was a PR stunt that could easily blow up in their faces. Instead, Oliver focused on young single men between the ages of 18 and 25 with the stipulation that part of their monthly pay had to be sent home to their families. If the government was paying to support its citizens, it might as well support as many as possible on the lowest amount of money.

With Oliver in charge, things moved quickly. They were already accepting applications and the Interior Department was scouting locations to base the first camp. As soon as one was chosen, the Army would move in and take it from there.

Annie took it all in with barely contained excitement. Although disappointed that children wouldn't be included, the proposed projects fired her imagination. She had never even heard of most of the places mentioned, but the names hit a chord that sent her to the gold embossed set of encyclopedias in Warbucks' library as soon as they got home. She wanted to know just what about the Grand Canyon made it so grand, and was there really yellow stone in Yellowstone, or was that wishful thinking on the part of the guy who named it?

Unable to understand most of what she was reading, Annie showed up in Grace's suite Saturday morning hauling several books and a fold-out map of the United States. On the map they marked all the projects currently on the drawing board and then looked them up to learn more about the various national and state parks. Annie decided then and there that she wanted to see this Yellowstone for herself. Just the idea of boiling water regularly shooting up out of a hole in the ground gave her goose bumps.

The activity afforded Grace a good idea of how limited Annie's education had been. Despite the fact that she knew how to spell "Mississippi," she didn't know where the Mississippi was, river or state. Annie was stunned when Grace pointed it out to her.

"You mean that huge river starts way up here, in this tiny lake?"

"That's right. At its widest point it makes the Hudson look like a drainage ditch."

"Wow!" Annie stared at the picture in the encyclopedia in awe. "Can I see it? How long will it take to get there? Can we take the train?"

Grace smiled. Annie's enthusiasm about everything was infectious. "I imagine your father will take you someday, although the trip would take several days unless you fly."

"_Days?!"_

"It is almost half-way across the country, Annie," Grace laughed. "And it depends on what state you go to see it. It borders or runs through ten states from its origin to the Gulf at New Orleans. In fact, your father is building an oil platform in the Gulf that's nearing completion. He'll probably want to see it in production. Perhaps you can go with him."

"Oh, I hope so! Can you come too, Miss Farrell?" Annie asked, wide eyes accompanying her pleading expression.

"That would depend on Mr. Warbucks, dear. And don't you think it's high time you started calling me Grace?" she said, referring to the request she'd made several days earlier that Annie drop the more formal designation.

Annie's face immediately fell into a somber mien and she lost a lot of her enthusiasm. "Mrs. Allen told me that I should call everyone in the house only by their last name, that it differ…differ…"

"Differentiates?" Grace filled in.

"Yeah, that's it, that it differentiates me from the servants, whatever that means, and it's the proper way to…to…."

"Address people."

"Right." Annie grimaced. "But it sounds all wrong. I tried calling Annette Miss Patterson like I'm supposed to, and she told me if I kept that up, she'd have to start calling me Miss Warbucks, and it all seemed so silly that I told her Annette suited me just fine if she'd keep calling me Annie."

Laughing, Grace gave the former orphan a hug. "Then I suggest you ask the individual what he prefers and go with that, regardless what convention dictates."

"I think that's a swell idea!"

"So Grace it is?"

"You betcha, Grace!"

"Very well, Miss Ann Marie Mudge Warbucks, also known as Annie, what do you say you and I get Sandy, head outside and see if he can catch your new Frisbee until it's time for lunch?"

"Oh, boy! Come on!" Annie exclaimed, grabbing Grace's hand and hauling her out the door.

* * *

Grace felt something shaking her arm. She ignored it, burrowing deeper into her pillow, and settled into sleep again. Whoever it was had other ideas, however and she felt another shake, more insistent, accompanied with a weak, "Grace, are you awake?"

Her sleep-fogged brain struggled to make sense of the question. It sounded like Annie was trying to get her to wake up for some reason.

"Grace, wake up."

After another shake, Grace rolled over and cracked her eyes open. She could barely make out Annie standing next to her bed, clad in her nightgown. "Annie? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Even in the darkness of the room, Grace could see Annie's face contort as if in pain. "I don't feel good."

Grace felt herself come fully awake at that announcement, and she sat up, switching on the small lamp on her bedside table. Annie definitely looked like she didn't feel good. Her skin was a pasty color and she was clutching her stomach with her arms. In fact, it looked like she might….

Grace sprang out of bed and without preamble, grabbed the girl and quickly guided her to the bathroom without a second to spare as Annie's dinner made a violent appearance. She rubbed her back while the spasms gradually subsided, then sat her on the cool floor as she procured a glass of water.

"Sip it slowly, or it will come back up."

Annie did as she was told, carefully taking tiny amounts of water into her mouth.

"Do you feel any better?" Grace asked as she felt Annie's forehead for a fever.

"Sorta," Annie croaked, leaning against the wall. Her freckles stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin.

Grace didn't understand this sudden onset of illness. Annie had been fine all day, energetic even, and had still been bouncing around when she and Mr. Warbucks left to accompany Mrs. Allen to a favorite upscale restaurant for the evening.

"Annie, what did you eat for dinner?"

The child took a deep breath and lowered her brows over her nose, thinking. "Well, first we had some kind of fish that came in a shell."

"Oysters?"

"Yeah, and another one with a weird name. I think Daddy Warbucks said it was French."

"Escargot."

"Uh huh. I only ate a few of those; they were hard to get out of the shell and kinda slimy."

"Anything else?"

"Oh yeah. I had duck in a thick white sauce with aspergrass and butter."

"Aspergrass?" Grace looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah. It was long and green."

"Oh, you mean asparagus!"

"If you say so." Annie paused, and her face suddenly went white. "I think I'm gonna be sick again!" She jumped up from the floor and, hanging her head over the toilet, promptly threw up more of her dinner. Wiping her mouth on the damp cloth Grace handed to her, she asked, "Can I have another drink of water, please?"

Grace refilled the glass and handed it to Annie. "Slow sips like before," she instructed. "Is your stomach still upset?"

"A little," Annie admitted, rubbing it gently. She plopped back down on the floor

"Well," Grace considered, "what you ate was pretty rich, but not really enough to cause this."

"I also had two desserts; a piece of chocolate fudge cake with raspberry sauce and some more creamed broolett - I like that! - with a fizzy cream soda, and I ate it all," she admitted with a slight smile.

Her friend looked at her with wide eyes. "What was your father thinking, letting you eat all of that?"

Annie shrugged nonchalantly. "Daddy and Mrs. Allen said I could have whatever I wanted. They talked with each other a lot, about the wedding and some business thing I didn't understand, so I was kinda bored."

"Hmm," Grace said non-committally. She felt Annie's forehead again. "You don't have a fever, so I think this is caused from eating too many rich foods. Do you need to stay in here a little longer?"

"Maybe a while," Annie nodded. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Grace smiled with affection. "Of course."

Annie threw up once more, and was finally able to snuggle into Grace's bed with a cool cloth on her forehead. Grace climbed in next to her and Sandy, who'd gone searching for his mistress and was happily settled on the foot of the bed.

Grace and Annie talked until Annie's voice started to grow heavy, punctuated by huge yawns. She eventually fell into a deep sleep, her breathing slow and even.

Grace laid awake for a while, thinking of Annie's account of the evening. She was fully prepared to give Mr. Warbucks a stern reproof in the morning.

* * *

"I can't find her anywhere," a harried Mrs. Greer admitted to Drake as he met her at the foot of the main staircase. "I've looked in her room, the third floor sitting rooms, the breakfast room; I don't know where she is!" She spotted George, the gardener, enter from the east portico, shaking his head.

"She's not outside, not even in the trees." After the events of the party a few days ago, he thought it would be prudent to look up as well as around the garden.

Mrs. Greer gasped. "You don't supposed she's in the pool, do you?" She took a step in that direction, but Drake waylaid her.

"I already checked, carefully, and it doesn't appear anyone has been there since yesterday."

"I too checked the pool area, and the first floor. I have seen nothing of the princess," Punjab said, approaching in his stealthy manner.

"Have you found her?" Mr. Warbucks called down to the group from the second floor.

Mrs. Greer glanced up at her employer, noticing the anxious look on his face. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Warbucks, but we'll keep looking. Annie has to be _somewhere_."

He leaned against the railing and sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. Where on earth could the child have gotten to? A tightness similar to what he experienced the night she was kidnapped by the "Mudges" rose in his chest, but he refused to give in to panic. It was unlikely an intruder had breached the security of the mansion and stolen her from her bed during the night without a sound. So, as Mrs. Greer said, she had to be somewhere in the house, and with a staff as large as he had, it was also unlikely that someone hadn't seen her.

He suddenly brought his head up as a thought occurred to him. "Where's Miss Farrell? Has she left for church yet?"

"I don't believe so, sir, although I haven't seen her this morning either," Drake informed him.

Oliver nodded swiftly. "I'll check with her. Maybe she knows something. In the meantime, keep looking. Let me know immediately if you find her." He turned and quickly made his way up the stairs to the third floor. He should have checked with Grace as soon as he was told Annie was missing. However, he'd been trying to emotionally distance himself from his secretary since his engagement, and the best way he knew to do that was to stay away from her. Thus outside of the office, he'd automatically avoided her. He hoped she might have an idea where Annie could have gone.

Just as he raised his hand to knock on her bedroom door, it opened suddenly and Grace emerged. She was drawing her gloves out of her purse, and with her head down, she didn't see Oliver until she plowed right into him. The force of their collision sent her off balance and she would have tumbled to the floor if Oliver hadn't caught her by the shoulders at the last second.

"Mr. Warbucks!" she gasped, clutching his arms to steady herself. "You scared me half to death!"

"Miss Farrell, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's my fault. I'm late and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He still had hold of her shoulders. She cleared her throat self-consciously and pulled back as he let her go.

"Yes, well, no harm done, at least not to me." He looked her over, searching for any obvious injury, which only made her cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

"I'm fine, sir, thank you." She paused when he didn't look away. "Was there something you needed?" It was unusual for him to show up at her bedroom door, least of all on a Sunday. As her only scheduled day off, she rarely even saw him on Sundays.

Realizing he was staring, he immediately lowered his brows to cover any untoward feelings that might leak into his expression. Aligning his voice with his scowl, he declared, "Annie's missing, we can't find her anywhere. I'm getting quite worried and thought perhaps you might know…."

Grace shook her head. "She's fine. She's in my room."

Warbucks stopped, gaping at her in surprise. "Your room?"

"Yes," she reassured him. "She wasn't feeling well last night, and she came to me…."

"Do you mean she's been in your room all night?" he interrupted, the relief he felt at learning of his daughter's safety quickly surrendering to the first flutterings of anger.

"Yes," she reiterated. "She was sick, and…."

Oliver's eyes grew hard and glinted like steal. "Why the devil didn't you tell anyone?"

Grace paused, her mouth half open, taken aback by his tone. "What?"

"Half the staff, including myself, have been looking for her for the better part of an hour. I've been frantic, thinking she'd been kidnapped again when she wasn't found in her room this morning, and now I find out she was with you all night! Miss Farrell, how could you have been so irresponsible?"

Lack of sleep allowed her temper to rise swiftly. Her cheeks now darkened in anger, she replied, "You're the one who's irresponsible! Annie was sick a good portion of the night because you let her eat virtually anything she took a notion to. You were too busy with Mrs. Allen to even pay attention to what your daughter was doing!"

"I beg your pardon! I knew precisely what she was eating."

"Then what were you thinking; oysters _and_ escargot, followed by a very rich and greasy duck with _butter sauce_, chased down with two desserts and A_ CREAM SODA_?! Annie's spent her entire life eating the blandest food imaginable; her system can't handle that much rich food all at once!"

"Annie was fine when we returned home last evening," Oliver persisted. "She didn't mention anything about feeling ill when she went to bed."

"Sir!" Grace emphasized. "She threw up three times! I got queasy just listening to her recount the meal!"

Oliver drew back in surprise. "She threw up? Three times?"

"Yes! It was going on 4 AM when she finally fell back to sleep. Running across the house to tell you where she was wasn't exactly in the forefront of my thoughts at the time."

Their argument was brought to a sudden halt when the subject in question opened the bedroom door. Sandy squirmed through the opening between Mr. Warbucks and Grace, making a beeline for the front door, his bladder having taken all it was going to.

"Daddy, Grace?" Annie asked, her eyes still blurry from sleep. "Are you fightin'?"

Oliver dropped to her level and looked her in the eye. "Miss Farrell told me you were ill last night."

"Boy, was I!" Annie came fully awake to detail the previous night's ordeal. "I never felt that bad before in my life. It was awful! Grace took care of me and let me stay with her." She slipped her hand into Grace's.

Oliver noticed the gesture, and the use of Miss Farrell's first name, but didn't comment on either. "Do you feel better now?"

"Oh, yeah, loads!" Annie nodded vigorously. "Wow, I never want to feel like that again."

Grace leaned down. "Do you think you feel well enough to get your clothes on and eat some toast in the kitchen?"

Annie nodded again. "I am hungry." She turned to her father. "Have you had breakfast, Daddy Warbucks?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I haven't. Why don't you do as Miss Farrell suggests and I'll meet you downstairs?"

"Okay." She turned to Grace. "Thanks for letting me stay with you last night, Grace."

Grace smiled broadly. "Of course, dear. You can stay with me anytime."

With that, Annie took off, skipping down the corridor towards her own room, all evidence of her illness gone.

Warbucks stood, watching her. "Well, it certainly appears that she feels better." He eyed his secretary ruefully. "I owe you an apology, Miss Farrell. I'm sorry I reprimanded you when you were only helping Annie. And I do appreciate that. Thank you."

Grace stood flabbergasted, as surprised by the apology as she had been the rebuke. "You're welcome," she finally managed to get out. "I should have let someone know where she was. I never imagined it would cause such an uproar."

Warbucks simply nodded. "I won't detain you from your engagements any longer. Good day, Miss Farrell." He turned and swiftly strode down the corridor to meet Annie for breakfast.

Grace stared after him, trying to remember the last time he'd apologized to her for anything. She couldn't recall a single instance.

* * *

Oliver exhaled heavily when he was out of Miss Farrell's sight. Thank goodness Annie was safe and sound. Obviously Grace had cared for her well; he certainly wouldn't have known what to do for the girl. He was grateful his secretary was willing to take on that responsibility, especially in the middle of the night!

He reviewed their argument in his mind, and he realized with a jolt that this was the first time he'd ever seen Grace truly angry with him. Although calling him 'sir,' she'd cast aside all usual deference to his position and given him a piece of her mind. No one had done that in years! There was little doubt what she thought of his parenting the previous evening. He had to admit, the proof was in the pudding, although probably not the best choice of words in this case! Katherine also hadn't thought twice about what Annie was eating. Then again, his fiancée hadn't seen the horrible conditions Annie had been accustomed to in the orphanage the way Grace and he had. He should have perceived what the food would do to someone not used to anything besides mush and potatoes. Even Mrs. Pugh kept an eye on Annie's appetite and consumption, likewise aware of the potential upsets. It seemed the only people unaware or unthinking were Annie's parents! He shook his head, again recognizing how much he didn't know about raising a child, although imagined his secretary would willingly point out any future blunders on his part!

He chuckled as he descended the stairs, remembering how her eyes had flashed when she'd called him irresponsible. If he'd thought Grace was pretty when she argued with him, he decided she was positively breathtaking when her Irish temper was on full display! His smile blossomed at the image.

_Stop!_ he told himself sharply and trounced on his inappropriate thoughts. He sighed sadly,

his smile dissolving. His resolve at ridding himself of his emotional attachment to Grace wasn't proving to be as simple as he'd at first thought.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

Mabel Reinhold grabbed the next stack of files in her hand and glanced at the clock on the shelf, noticing that it was 10:15. With Mr. Warbucks at the Pittsburgh factory for the next two days, Miss Farrell had decided this would be a good time for the office team to implement some records management on the mass of files that had been collecting for the past several months. Consisting mostly of alphabetizing and cross-referencing, they'd also taken the opportunity to "cull the records," as Miss Farrell gently put it. This really meant, "Throw the darn thing away!"

They'd been making good time and were more than halfway through the backlog. There was something of an urgency to their mission, as Miss Farrell had commented earlier that she wanted to finish by noon so she could take Annie on an outing. At this rate they would easily make that deadline. It was going far better than either she or Miss Farrell had hoped.

Mabel began placing the files into an empty box when the phone rang. Answering it, she said, "Good morning, Oliver Warbucks' office, Miss Reinhold speaking. Oh, Mrs. Allen, hello. I'm sorry, Mr. Warbucks isn't here at the moment." Mabel paused as her employer's fiancée detailed the purpose of her call. "Miss Farrell isn't here either; she stepped out of the office temporarily. May I take a message and have her call you back?" At that second, Mabel heard Annie in the corridor singing through the alphabet as she and Miss Farrell returned from another trip to the store room. "Hold on, Mrs. Allen, I believe she's returning." Mabel placed her hand over the receiver as Annie capered into the room, followed by Miss Farrell carrying a box of files.

"E, f, g, h, i, k, j, l…"

"Nope," Miss Farrell said, dropping the heavy box on the desk. "You missed j and k again."

"Grace, I just can't remember them!" Annie complained, frustrated.

"Yes, you can," Grace encouraged patiently. "Which direction do you read in?"

"Left to right?" Annie answered hesitantly.

"Okay, just remember that 'j' comes first because the hook points to the left, while the legs on 'k' point to the right; left to right. Now, try again."

Mabel interrupted the impromptu lesson. "Miss Farrell, Mrs. Allen is on the phone for you."

"For me?" Grace asked in surprise.

"Yes, she asked for you specifically."

Grace took the receiver but addressed Annie, "Help Mabel pull the files out of that box and we'll go through the alphabet again in a minute." She then turned her attention to the phone call. "Mrs. Allen, this is Grace Farrell. What can I do for you?"

"_Miss Farrell, good morn__ing. I've set aside today to begin planning for the wedding, and Oliver and I have decided to hold both the ceremony and reception at his home. He told me I should consult with you regarding space and accommodations."_

This was all news to Grace, although she should have expected it. It made sense to hold the wedding at the house, and she arranged all of Mr. Warbucks' gatherings, from small dinners to expansive celebrations such as Annie's adoption party. Logic dictated that she be the liaison for the wedding as well. This didn't make her feel any better about the prospect, however, and she automatically frowned in response to Katherine's statement. Attempting to suppress the negative reaction, she took a deep, silent breath and responded, "I'll certainly answer any questions you have."

"_Actually, I'd like you to be present when I meet with the caterers at 1:00 this afternoon. __Oliver assured me that you would be free today as you were planning to take the afternoon off, and it will be easier to coordinate with Oliver's staff if you're involved in the planning process from the beginning. I'm working with LaNotte and Co.; they've catered all of my events for years and they're quite good. From there we'll proceed to the decorators at 2:00…."_

Grace saw her plans of an afternoon with Annie dissolve as Katherine droned on. For a second she considered refusing, but she knew accompanying Mrs. Allen today would likely avert a lot of problems later on. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt herself caving in to the demands being placed on her. "Of course, Mrs. Allen. Give me the address of the caterer and I'll meet you there at 1:00."

Disappointment washed over Annie's face as she heard Grace respond to Mrs. Allen, but she stood by quietly until Grace hung up the phone. "We're not going to the museum today, are we?"

"I'm sorry, Annie. Mrs. Allen wants me to help with the wedding plans, and going today will save me a lot of time and headache later on. Is it okay with you if we go some other time?"

Annie knew her friend was right, and it wasn't her fault their plans had to be changed. "Sure," she said with a smile. "The museum isn't going anywhere."

Grace let out a laugh and leaned down next to Annie. "You have to be the most understanding person I know. I promise I'll make it up to you!" She gave her a quick hug and stood. Addressing both Annie and Mabel, she said, "Now we'd better finish this infernal job so I can spend my afternoon off working!"

* * *

_This is a waste of my time._ Grace looked on as Mrs. Allen discussed arrangements with the decorator while her secretary, Ella Tipton, took copious notes. Although Katherine had desired that Grace attend these meetings, after four hours she had accepted none of her advice or suggestions. So far Mr. Warbucks' fiancée had engaged an expensive catering service to deliver food that the staff could have easily prepared on site with a lot less fuss and trouble. She'd contracted to buy multiple decorations that would have been far cheaper to rent. Now she was detailing to the decorator, a flamboyant woman who had never been inside the mansion, that she wanted seating and eating service for approximately 450 people in a room that could hold at its capacity no more than 200. Grace listened with growing alarm as Stella, the decorator, became more and more enamored with floor arrangements that simply weren't possible. Finally Grace could take no more. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Allen, but that just won't work."

Katherine turned to Grace with a serenely controlled expression. This was the fifth such interruption from Oliver's secretary, and Miss Farrell was becoming quite irksome. Katherine knew from her time with Oliver in New Orleans while they looked over the new oil platform that Grace Farrell was extremely efficient and worked tirelessly to keep up with Oliver's tremendous output. And by the way Oliver had sung his secretary's praises during dinner a week ago, she had the impression that the woman could solve practically any problem. However today Miss Farrell was trying to curtail every idea Katherine came up with. "What's wrong this time?" she asked, her mouth a tight line.

Grace rubbed her forehead in agitation. "I assure you I'm not trying to be difficult, Mrs. Allen, but, while beautiful in full sunshine, the west salon won't hold more than 200 persons at most. In addition, at 4:00 on a September afternoon it will be stiflingly hot."

"Miss Farrell," Katherine began patiently. "I've attended several gatherings in the west salon, and it's always been comfortable, regardless of the number of people. In fact, the last time I was there Oliver had a grand piano and a string quartet in concert and the room proved quite satisfactory."

"That was in February and all the doors and windows had to be opened to cool it down. Once again I suggest having the ceremony in the gardens, which will be cool whatever the time of day, and the reception in the ball room, which was designed for large gatherings."

Katherine gave Grace a hard look, stubbornly replying, "Thank you for the suggestion, but I refuse to have my wedding _outside,_ of all things, and I believe the west salon will work just fine. It's my favorite room in the house, and that's where I want the ceremony and reception to be held."

Having heard all she cared to, Grace brusquely stood and, gathering her briefcase and personal items, addressed Katherine. "Mrs. Allen, you insisted that I attend these meetings to offer advice and consultation on the accommodations of the house. If you had already made up your mind regarding what you want, you could have simply phoned your instructions to me when all the arrangements were made. Instead, you interrupted my afternoon off, and have utterly wasted my time! When you have everything settled to your satisfaction, please let me know." She turned to Stella. "The staff will do all that we can to help you make this work, but the room is too small. Be prepared for that. Good afternoon, ladies." She turned and briskly strode out the door.

"Well, that was rude!" Mrs. Tipton exclaimed after the door closed behind Grace.

"Yes, it was," Katherine agreed, silently promising herself that Oliver would hear about his secretary's behavior at the first opportunity.

Two days later, Katherine made good on her promise.

* * *

Warbucks returned from his trip to Pittsburgh exhausted but pleased that the reorganization of his factory would enable him to keep it running for at least another four months while he worked out a more permanent solution. It would have been simpler to close it, but he'd put a lot of capital into it upon its acquisition, and he was loath to lose that investment. Plus Annie had begged him to keep it running, worried about what would happen to the workers employed there and their families if her father should actually close the factory.

Since he arrived home too late to see Annie before her bedtime, he woke her the next morning promising a full-day excursion to the zoo, accompanied by Katherine. Katherine and Annie had spent hardly any time at all getting acquainted, and he figured an outing to the zoo was just the thing to facilitate that.

He truly enjoyed experiencing places with Annie, and seeing things through her eyes allowed him to appreciate the world for the wondrous adventure it was. She noticed things he'd overlooked for years, finding amazement in even the most mundane. Even after so short a time together, he couldn't imagine his life without her; could barely remember his life before her, for that matter. She was a joy to be around, and while in her presence he felt more relaxed than he had in decades. She made him laugh, with her, at her, and most importantly, at himself. He found himself becoming more patient with people, and more willing to take time off from his incessant workload.

Thus he, Annie and Katherine took off early in the morning for a full day together. Like everything she did, Annie thoroughly relished the zoo, as he knew she would. She seemed ready to run in every direction at once, giving Punjab and the Asp the need to keep one eye on her constantly. Despite Katherine's seemingly perpetual admonishments to calm down, she whooped and hollered and capered about until even he was worn out. With Grace's warning in mind, he allowed her only one ice cream cone as a treat after lunch and a lemonade for the ride home. She discussed the events of the day with them all the way back to Katherine's house, making both of them laugh at her enthusiastic and greatly embellished recounts.

After dropping Katherine off with a promise to return shortly for an evening out, just the two of them, to begin discussing the proposed marriage agreement, father and daughter returned to the mansion tired, but happy.

Grace met them at the door. "How was the zoo? Did you have fun?"

"Oh yeah, it was swell!" Annie gushed. "We saw monkeys and an elephant and the tallest giraffe ever! It ate the leaves off the very top of the trees. It's too bad we didn't have that giraffe at my party; you coulda gotten Duffy and Pepper outa that tree a lot easier."

"Next time we have a circus here, I'll remember that!" Grace laughed. "Are you hungry? Dinner's not quite ready, but Mrs. Pugh is making your favorite, bacon cheese burger and baked beans." She turned to Mr. Warbucks. "Of course, she doesn't expect you to eat that. I believe she planned filet mignon for your dinner."

Still smiling, Oliver brushed her comment aside. "I won't be home for dinner. Katherine and I are eating out so we can talk about a few things."

Grace felt her smile freeze and then fade a little. "Oh. Of course." She glanced at Annie and forced her smile to return. "Well, I guess it's you and me tonight, and I'll be eating filet mignon. While we're waiting for dinner, why don't we take advantage of this perfect evening and play a game of badminton?"

Annie actually jumped up and down. "Really?! Leapin' lizards! Come on, let's go get the rackets." She grabbed Grace's hand and started hauling her towards the east door. Grace had time to throw over her shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

Oliver watched them go, his smile increasing into a chuckle.

"Miss Farrell is very good with the princess." Punjab's low voice rumbled across the entrance hall. "They make positive karma together."

Confused, Warbucks commented. "I didn't know one could _make_ karma. I thought you just had karma, be it good or bad." He started climbing the stairs, headed toward his rooms.

"Buddha may help you change your karma if he determines you so deserve," Punjab explained, following, "but in this case, it was good from the beginning. Buddha does not mess with what is already perfect."

Oliver sent Punjab a hard look, but his bodyguard presented an innocent expression, as though merely stating the facts. However, Punjab hardly ever simply stated anything, often speaking in analogy and metaphor. Oliver couldn't tell if his words contained a hidden meaning, and he didn't ask, as a lengthy, in-depth discussion with Punjab would risk making him late for his meeting with Katherine. For a woman, she was extremely punctual, something he appreciated. But also like a woman, she let you know when she was displeased, and he didn't care to suffer a remonstrance the likes of which she'd heaped on Annie all day. He continued briskly to his rooms to change

* * *

_Buddha does not mess with what is already perfect._

"Oliver, are you listening to me?"

Oliver started, taking in the slightly annoyed expression of his fiancée. "I'm sorry, Katherine, did you say something?"

Katherine smiled and answered, "I said now that we have that ironed out, I need to speak with you about Miss Farrell, but you appeared to be miles away, and you were smiling."

Oliver uncharacteristically felt his cheeks grow warm. He cleared his throat self-consciously and wiped his mouth on his napkin in an attempt to hide his embarrassment at being caught thinking about the very subject Katherine had brought up. "I apologize. Annie talked Miss Farrell into a game of badminton after we returned home and I was thinking about how much fun they seemed to be having. I'm not sure who was laughing more, my daughter or my secretary. And I don't understand how Annie could have enough energy after our outing today to even consider the rousing game they appeared to be engaged in." His smile returned as he recounted the spectacle he'd witnessed from his balcony after retiring to his rooms. Annie and Grace were laughing so hard they could hardly serve the birdie. They made an incongruous picture, the little redheaded girl and the refined and polished woman in the tailored suit, both carrying on like two kids at a birthday party.

"Annie does seem to have infinite resources when it comes to having fun," Katherine agreed. "But I need to speak with you about an incident involving Miss Farrell."

"You have my full attention," Oliver assured. "What about her?"

Katherine took a deep breath, considering how best to inform him of the confrontation that occurred the other day, finally deciding he would most appreciate a direct approach. "While you were in Pittsburgh, I requested of Miss Farrell that she attend some important meetings regarding the wedding, believing it would be easiest to coordinate with your staff if she was involved in the decision making process. I also thought she would be helpful in answering questions regarding the space of the rooms I intend to use."

"Yes, you mentioned you were going to do that before I left," Oliver said impatiently.

Unperturbed, Katherine continued, "She did attend the meetings, but instead of being useful, she was quarrelsome, difficult and in the end, quite rude. She left before the final meeting was even over, regardless of my wishes. I won't stand for that type of behavior from any employee, mine or yours."

Oliver stared at her, dumbfounded. "She was quarrelsome? And rude?" He couldn't imagine Grace exhibiting either of those traits. Instead of being appalled, however, he found himself irrationally ready to refute Katherine's claims. "I've never found her to be anything but completely professional. You must have misunderstood her."

Katherine's eyebrows rose at Oliver's assumption. "I know that she's worked for you for several years, and can understand that you feel a certain sense of loyalty towards her, but her behavior was inexcusable." Oliver again opened his mouth to dispute her when she held up a hand to forestall his disagreement. "Perhaps you should hear what happened before you make any determination."

He snapped his mouth shut and with a scowl, nodded for her to proceed.

"We were involved in three meetings, and she argued with me at every turn, doing so much as to insult a very established and near impossible to reserve caterer by insisting that your staff could prepare the intended menu as well as if not better than his company. He was so offended that I had to do a lot of sweet talking just to keep him engaged. And later she informed the decorator I've secured that the room I intend to use for both the ceremony and reception is completely inadequate, insisting that I'd wasted her time! At that point she walked out."

Oliver stared at her silently, digesting what she'd told him. He squelched the desire to defend Grace out of hand, and diplomatically asked, "Are you sure you didn't simply misunderstand her meaning?"

Katherine huffed. "I'm not making this up, Oliver. Mrs. Tipton was present if you care to ask her the details."

He could see Katherine was becoming offended at his reluctance to accept her word at face value, and quickly moved to reassure her. "That won't be necessary; I'm sure your version of the events are accurate." _If not slightly exaggerated. _ He came to a quick decision. "I'll speak with Miss Farrell as soon as I get home and see if I can get to the bottom of the issue. Does that suit you?"

Katherine leaned back in her chair, nodding in satisfaction. "That's all I ask."

"Good. Now let's have some dessert. I've heard rave reviews of the key lime pie."

She smiled in response.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

CONFESSIONS

"Annie, I said it before and I'll say it again; this is the most revolting color I've ever seen!" Grace proclaimed from her prone position on Annie's bed.

Since Daddy Warbucks was out with Mrs. Allen, Annie and Grace had spent the whole evening together, listening to the radio, looking at back issues of Photoplay, and curling their hair – doing "girlie things" as Mrs. Greer put it.

Their hair was tied up with matching ribbons and Annie was dressed in her nightgown, ready for bed. Before the evening came to an end, however, she'd begged Grace to apply the nail polish that she'd acquired from a hawking peddler at the zoo that day.

Annie presented a huge grin in response to her friend's declaration as she watched Grace swipe sickly purple nail polish onto her toenails. Fuchsia, Cecille had called it earlier. Although not exactly pretty, Annie thought it was…what did Cecille say?...provocatively interesting. That intrigued Annie enough to convince Grace to try it out.

"I like it, but Mrs. Allen said it wasn't app...approp…." She looked at Grace for help.

"Do you mean appropriate?"

"That's it, appropriate…for someone like me, whatever that means, but I knew it was the color I wanted as soon as the nice man at the zoo showed it to me."

Grace was laying on her stomach, her legs bent at the knees and her feet swaying back and forth as she painted the girl's nails. "I'm glad you had a good time at the zoo today."

"Yeah, I guess," Annie shrugged.

This was a marked contrast to her attitude that afternoon.

Grace looked up, polish brush poised for another stroke. "What's wrong?"

Annie wrinkled her nose and looked away, admitting, "I don't think Mrs. Allen likes me very much."

"Why do you say that?"

Annie paused for a few seconds, considering what answer to give. "She's always telling me that I'm doing something wrong. Like today, she told me I was running too fast, or standing wrong, or talking too loud. Daddy Warbucks talks loud all the time and nobody says it's wrong."

"Nobody would dare," Grace said under her breath as she sat upright, placing the bottle of polish on a side table. She regarded Annie thoughtfully, choosing her words with care. "Annie, Mrs. Allen didn't see what your life was like in the orphanage, and likewise doesn't know that you may not realize where it is or isn't _appropriate_ to run fast or yell a lot," Grace smiled. "Your life and hers have been very different, like night and day."

"Do you mean she's better than I am?"

"No, absolutely not!" she hurried to reassure the little girl. "I mean that she doesn't understand you yet because she doesn't know you well enough. You just need to give her more time to see what a wonderful person you are. After all, you've only known each other a couple of weeks."

"I s'pose." Annie still sounded unconvinced.

"She's probably as uncertain around you as you are around her."

"Do you really think so?"

_No, not a bit, _Grace thought to herself, but only said, "Give her a chance. I'm sure you'll soon become good friends."

"All right." Annie sighed, then glanced at Grace sadly. "I wish you could be my mother."

Pain lanced through Grace's heart at Annie's words. "Oh, Annie." She gathered the girl to her in a tight embrace. "You are so special!" She swallowed hard, fighting to hold back tears. Her voice heavy with emotion, she vowed, "I may not be your mother, but I will always be your friend. A friend that's willing to paint your nails whatever horrible color you want!" Also fighting tears, Annie laughed and sniffled at the same time. Grace pulled back and propped her forehead against Annie's. "What do you say we finish your nails?"

Annie wiped her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown. "Okay," she agreed with a smile.

Grace smiled in return, grabbing the polish and resuming her position on the bed. In a few strokes she finished Annie's toes and gently blew on them to encourage the paint to dry faster. "If your father comments on this awful color, I want you to tell him it was all your idea."

"What was her idea?"

Both Grace and Annie swung around to take in Oliver as he stood in the doorway, an amused expression on his face.

He'd just returned from his evening with Katherine and wanted to tell Annie good night before she retired. He wasn't surprised upon gaining her open bedroom door that Grace was with her. They were often inseparable when he and Annie weren't together. Looking at them he was again reminded of Punjab's observation of their easy relationship. The two definitely shared a deep bond.

"Daddy Warbucks, you're home!" Annie jumped off the bed and ran across the room, waking the sleeping Sandy so he too could add his barks to the din.

"Annie, be careful! Your polish isn't dry yet!"

Grace's warning went unheeded as the girl leapt into Oliver's arms for a full hug. "I was hopin' you'd get back before I had to go to bed. Grace n' me have been doin' girlie things all night!"

Oliver raised his eyebrows and took in Grace as she clamored off Annie's large bed to quiet Sandy. "Girlie things?" He noticed his secretary's normally pristine suit was wrinkled, and her blouse was hanging free over her skirt. The same soft blue ribbon that Annie sported was woven through her hair. They certainly looked like they'd been having fun. "Is there anything specific I should know about?"

"Oh, we looked at pictures of dresses and tried on clothes and put on my new polish. See?" Annie held out one hand to show Warbucks her freshly colored nails.

"Hmm," Oliver leaned his head to the side, examining his daughter's handiwork. "Is this the "awful color" referred to a moment ago?"

"Yep!"

After close scrutiny, he decided, "Annie, Miss Farrell is right; that color is abysmal."

"Actually," Annie corrected him, "she said it was revolting."

"And it clashes with your hair," Grace said, joining them.

"Whose idea was this color?"

"Hers!" Grace and Annie both pointed at the other.

Oliver laughed a deep, rich laugh. "I see we're going to have to work on your veracity, Annie."

Annie wrinkled her forehead, confused. "My what?"

"Tendency to fudge the truth," Grace answered, perturbed.

"Oh, that." Annie smiled.

Oliver again studied both Annie and Grace's appearance. "It seems as though you two had a good time without me. Tomorrow night I'll have to stay home with you so we can all do our hair." He tugged playfully on Annie's ribbon as Grace gave a rich laugh.

Annie giggled. "Daddy Warbucks, you don't have any hair!"

"You're right, so a ribbon probably wouldn't look nearly as good on me as they do on you and Miss Farrell."

"I don't know. We could find one to match your eyes," Grace intoned.

Oliver laughed again. "I doubt even that would do it. Now, young lady," he directed at Annie, "I think it's bedtime. How about you tell Miss Farrell good night and I tuck you and Sandy in?" He set Annie on her feet.

"Good night, Grace!" Annie said as she grabbed her friend around the waist. "I had a great time tonight!"

Grace smiled as she returned the hug. "So did I, Annie. Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow." She let the redhead go and started to move past Warbucks to the door.

"Miss Farrell," Oliver entreated softly, arresting her movement, "There's something I'd like to speak with you about. Meet me in the office in a few moments."

Gone was the laughing tenor, replaced by his usual harsh tones as he issued the order. The quick change took her by surprise, and her smile faded. "Of course, sir." She slipped out the door.

* * *

Mr. Warbucks didn't keep her waiting long. As he entered the office and briskly moved behind his desk, Grace realized with a start that this was the first time they'd been completely alone since he announced his engagement.

Curiously he didn't sit down once he gained the opposite side of his desk. Instead he regarded her thoughtfully, as if not quite sure how to begin.

"Katherine told me a troubling story at dinner."

"Sir?"

"She detailed a… disconcerting …meeting the two of you attended while I was in Pittsburgh, and expressed concern regarding your behavior at that meeting."

_Ah, so that's what this is about._ Grace felt her expression grow cold, and her eyes began to flash almost before Warbucks was done speaking.

Noticing her posture, he held up his hand. "I'm here now to listen to your side of the story."

She blinked, and her defensiveness began to ebb away. He wanted to hear her side? This was a drastic departure from his usual course when dealing with an employee problem. In fact, it was unprecedented. She hardly knew how to respond.

"May I ask what she said?" Grace began hesitantly, not sure she should trust this uncharacteristic Oliver Warbucks.

Still standing calmly behind the desk, he answered, "She claimed that not only were you unhelpful, but argumentative and rude."

Grace's eyes went wide, anger returning in a rush. "Rude?!"

"Yes," Oliver confirmed. "Would you care to explain?"

He saw Grace take a deep breath, trying to calm herself. After a second breath, Grace told him what had happened, beginning with the interrupted day off and ending with Katherine's desire to hold the ceremony in an inappropriate room.

"She simply wouldn't listen to me, refusing to take any suggestion I made regarding the accommodations of the house. At that point it became apparent that she had already made up her mind regarding the plans for the wedding and didn't require my input in the least, so I came home. All told, the endeavor was a complete waste of my time."

Oliver remained quiet for a moment. "I see."

"I didn't intend to be rude, if indeed I was, but after four hours, I was at the end of my patience."

_Four hours?!_ He gave a slight shudder; four hours of wedding plans would set his teeth on edge.

Oliver gave a curt nod. "I agree with you; the west salon is completely inadequate, to say nothing of the fact that everyone would pass out from the heat long before the ceremony could finish. I've been meaning to do something about that room for years, but so far I've only come up with turning it into a storage closet."

Grace smiled. "I'm not sure what the architect had in mind when it was designed."

"An over furnished sauna is my thought."

Grace laughed out loud.

"All right," Oliver concluded. "The only thing left to address is to tell Katherine that her plans have to change. A fact I doubt she'll welcome," he muttered the last to himself. To Grace he added, "In the future I expect you to show a little more tact and diplomacy."

_Well that's ironic considering who it's coming from, _Grace she could stop herself, aloud she teased, "In general, or just to Mrs. Allen?"

Oliver glanced at her harshly until he caught the mischievous glint in her eyes. He paused, slightly stunned, but quickly regrouped. "For now just Mrs. Allen," he teased in return. "I haven't fielded complaints from anyone else."

A flirtatious smile blossomed across her lips to accompany the gleam in her eye. "Yes, sir. I'll see what I can do. Will there be anything else?"

"No, that will be all, Miss Farrell."

"Very well. Good night, Mr. Warbucks." She left the room, still smiling.

He watched her disappear through the door, then softly muttered, "Damn."

The Asp approached from the hallway, also staring in the direction Miss Farrell had gone. "She sure can turn it on when she wants to."

"Turn what on?" Oliver asked, curious.

"Charm," his body guard stated matter of factly. "And sex appeal," the Asp added, staring pointedly at Oliver, who looked horrified. He took in his employer's expression. "You have to admit, the ribbon was a nice touch."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

FAMILY MATTERS

A week later, Katherine's children, Penelope and Robert Jr., returned home to spend their summer holiday from their respective boarding schools. The first thing Katherine did upon their homecoming was to sit down and inform them of the engagement.

Fifteen year old Robert Jr. took the news stoically, as Katherine figured he would. He'd known his mother would remarry someday. She was far too young, too attractive and too wealthy to remain without suitors for long. In his mind, four years was long enough. The identity of her future husband surprised him at first, but upon reflection, he told his mother she'd made a good choice. In fact, Warbucks, International was currently a good stock option and he thought his mother would be wise to invest in that direction.

Katherine smiled in response to her son's observation. He was so like his father, in looks and attitude. She could imagine the same words in her late husband's voice. Robert would go far under Oliver's tutelage.

Thirteen year old Penelope's reaction was also exactly as Katherine had predicted.

"What do you mean, you're getting married again?! Father's only been dead for four years. That's hardly enough time between husbands. It's unseemly!"

Katherine raised her eyebrows at her daughter's choice of words.

"How long do you expect her to wait?" Robert asked his sister.

"Miss Stacy said a woman should wait ten years before embarking on a second marriage following widowhood. To do so any earlier implies disrespect to the deceased husband."

Robert actually laughed. "Ten years? That attitude would explain why _Miss_ Stacy is still single at her age!"

"Robert," Katherine chided, "you know Penelope adores Miss Stacy."

"Yes, but I can't figure out why. She exhibits the antiquated views of an old maid who is not only scared of her own shadow, but that of every man she sees."

"She does not!" Penelope leaned into her brother's personal space, fully determined to defend her favorite teacher and mentor. "Miss Stacy is a brilliant dancer who performed with the Ballets Russes…."

"In Paris, yes I know." Robert rolled his eyes. "You've mentioned that about a hundred times! I still think she's a…."

"That's enough!" Katherine interrupted. "Your bickering is what's unseemly. I expect you both to behave like the civilized individuals your instructors have assured me you are."

"But mother," Penelope continued, "I don't even know who this Oliver Bigbucks is, and you're just going to go off and marry him?"

Robert scoffed. "Oliver Warbucks, Penelope, not Bigbucks, and he's the leading industrialist in America, if not the world. His company weathered The Crash like it was barely a bump in the road, and he turned that disaster into an opportunity to take hold of practically the entire munitions market, so that he now controls 75% of it. _He's_ brilliant, and his actions in the past ten years have turned him into a billionaire."

"Oliver would be heartened to hear that recitation, Robert. I see you've been paying attention in your economics classes." Katherine turned her attention back to Penelope. "Dear, I've known Oliver for years. Your father respected him a great deal."

"But you didn't even tell me you were romantically involved with him."

"That's because I wasn't, and I'm not."

That comment confused even Robert. "But how can you be engaged if you're not involved with him?"

Katherine patiently explained the nature of her and Oliver's future marriage. "He needs someone to raise his new daughter with the stability only a full-time mother can provide. He asked me to take on the task and I accepted."

"But why do you have to marry him?" Penelope petulantly asked. "Can't he hire a governess for the brat?"

"Penelope!" Katherine reprimanded. "You will not speak in that manner regarding your future step-sister."

"OK, fine, I won't call her a brat, even though that's probably what she is. I still don't understand why you have to marry him. Does he know something about you that you don't want everyone else to know? What's that called – blackmail?"

Finally losing her patience with Penelope's attitude, Katherine snapped, "Of course he's not blackmailing me! I'm fond of Oliver and his offer is exactly as I stated. It's a business deal, in the simplest of terms." Penelope didn't lose her distrusting expression. "Let me put it to you another way. Unlike Warbucks, International, this depression hit our assets very hard, and although I have several lucrative plans about to pay off, we have yet to recover. Marrying Oliver will allow me to keep you in your very exclusive and very expensive school. Without Oliver's money, I'll have to withdraw you after the fall term, and you'll no longer study with the highly revered Miss Stacy. So I expect you to accept this marriage with grace and good manners. Am I clear?"

Penelope crossed her arms and looked away. The pout on her face wasn't exactly convincing, but she nodded her agreement. However, she couldn't help what she thought was a good dig. "Do we actually get to meet this man and his now very rich daughter before the wedding?"

Now that things seemed to be settled, Katherine relaxed back into the sofa. "Actually, yes. I've arranged a dinner with Oliver and Annie tomorrow night at his home so that you children can get acquainted, as well as meet Oliver. I'm sure you'll get along famously."

* * *

Oliver once again glanced at Katherine's young daughter, Penelope, taking in the searing glare she was sending Annie's way across the table. Annie, for her part, seemed oblivious to the animosity as she chattered away to the maids, Cecille and Mary, and Punjab, who was standing guard between her and the dining room's entryway. Katherine suddenly caught his eye from the other end of the table and gave him a slight smile, raising her eyebrows in Annie's direction, silently commenting on the incessant chatter. Oliver smiled in return, and hoped she realized that if it wasn't for Annie's penchant for talking to everyone in the room, the meal would be a very silent one. While Katherine's son, Robert Jr., had entered into a respectful conversation with him upon their arrival, Penelope had hardly said five words in his presence all evening. Her expressions, however, adequately conveyed her true feelings. This was a problem he hadn't anticipated.

When Katherine first suggested the gathering as an opportunity for the children to get to know each other, he'd been taken aback. For some reason, he hadn't even considered Katherine's children, despite the fact that Katherine's experience as a mother was the main reason he'd asked her to marry him in the first place. Katherine had explained her children's absence up to this point as their being away at school, but even so, she'd rarely mentioned them at any time during their previous acquaintance. Perhaps she thought he, as a self-confirmed bachelor, wouldn't be interested in the doings of someone else's children. Generally, she'd be right, but he still thought it rather curious that Penelope and Robert hadn't come up once in conversation since their engagement. It was like they didn't exist, as if Katherine took an "out of sight, out of mind" approach to them. For the first time since he'd set his plan in motion, he felt flutterings of misgiving about the arrangement.

As to Penelope, for now he'd leave her up to her mother.

A sudden crash of breaking glass and a spate of loud barking from the direction of the kitchen garnered his attention. All eyes focused on the spectacle of Sandy charging headlong through the swinging door separating the kitchen from the dining room. The dog spotted Annie as soon as he entered the room, and raced in her direction, skidding into the buffet as he passed, causing it to sway slightly. It was enough to topple a vase holding a large array of tea roses collected from the garden specifically for tonight's dinner. The vase fell, sending water over the edge of the buffet like an indoor waterfall. At that moment, Drake, Grace and Sam bowled through the door, one after the other, all yelling, "Sandy!"

Sandy paused briefly in his flight to look at them, and decided it was not in his best interest to linger. Grace and Sam began to move to opposite sides of the table, closing in on him. Drake's face had turned purple with rage, and he was waving a toilet plunger erratically through the air. Sandy's relationship with the butler was tenuous at best, and Sandy had a past experience with a plunger that he didn't care to recall. As Drake approached, he veered around him and made to dive under the table and certain escape, but just as he almost gained the safety of the long tablecloth, he felt Grace wrap her fingers around his collar, attempting to arrest his stampede.

"Sandy, stop!" she ordered, but the dog merely began dragging her under the table with him.

Not one to be taken so easily, Sandy gave a mighty lurch just as Grace hit the area of the floor covered with water from the toppled flower vase. She slipped on the wet tile and lost her hold on Sandy's collar, landing on her back in a heap between Mr. Warbucks' and Robert Allen's chairs. Drake, unable to check his momentum in his own lunge for Sandy, tripped over Grace, catching his shoe on her skirt, causing a very audible rip as he crashed into Sam, who had just rounded the end of the table while trying to head Sandy off. As they both tumbled to the floor, Drake lost his hold on the plunger and sent it flying through the air to land with a smack against the wall, where it stayed, suctioned to the plaster, its handle swaying wildly back and forth.

Sandy gleefully leapt over all three and made a break for the door.

Annie jumped out of her chair and took off after her dog, accidentally bumping Mary so that the maid lost her balance and, arms flailing, fell into a large potted plant, which then toppled over, spilling dirt everywhere. Cecille, who'd been in the process of refilling everyone's water glasses, staggered backwards to avoid being hit by the plant, and inadvertently threw half the pitcher of water she held into her face. Annie literally ran across Drake and Sam in her hurry to get out of the room, worried about Sandy, who had managed to gain the door in the melee, still barking. Punjab serenely remained standing guard, completely unaffected by the chaos.

Katherine looked around the formerly immaculate dining room and gasped, "What is going on?!"

Oliver's gaze travelled from the still swaying plunger to Mary, who was wrestling her way out from under the heavy plant, to the dripping Cecille, down to his three employees on the floor. They all looked absolutely ludicrous. He started to chuckle, and the oppressively silent dining room suddenly rang with his loud, raucous laughter. He wiped tears off of his cheeks as he again surveyed the damage. "That's a good question," he answered Katherine. Leaning over the arm of his chair, he glanced down at Grace, who was trying to pull her arm out from under Drake, who was just now untangling his portly body from Sam. Drake's shoe had caused a rip that ran along the seam of her skirt all the way up to the top of her thigh, revealing the full length of a very shapely leg. Drinking in the sight, he asked, "Miss Farrell, are you alright?"

Upside down from her position on the floor, Grace looked at him in exasperation,. "Yes, I think so. Although this isn't exactly how I planned to spend my evening."

"I don't expect it was," laughter still evident in his voice. Oliver rose and helped Grace to her feet while Robert aided Mary in extricating herself from the plant. Saunders handed Cecille a towel while Drake tried to reach the toilet plunger, which was just out of his reach.

The butler balefully glared at Punjab, saying with as much dignity as he could muster given the situation, "Do you _think_ you could avail me of your considerable height by removing the plunger from the wall?"

Punjab raised his eyebrows at Drake's tone, and easily reached up and pulled it away with a loud POP!

"Oh, my skirt!" Grace held the two panels of her recently tailored skirt and slip lining apart in dismay, inadvertently allowing another unimpeded view of her legs.

"My dear Miss Farrell, I do apologize for the damage done to your clothing," Drake said with consternation. "My foot seemed to have a mind of its own at the time."

"Don't worry about it, Drake," Grace said as she held the two panels of her skirt together with one hand. "I know it was an accident."

Annie reappeared, towing the now docile Sandy along behind her. "I got Sandy! He's alright, just a little worked up."

"Well that's a relief!" Mary said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm going to have nightmares about being suffocated by potted palms, but as long as Sandy's alright, that's all that matters!"

Annie sent the maid a saucy grin. "Sandy could sleep with you if you think you'll be too scared," she offered.

"Ha ha, very funny, Annie." Mary tried to wipe the mud off her dress acquired from rolling around on the floor, but only succeeded in rubbing it deeper into her white apron.

As appalled at the casual relationship the staff had with "the family" as she was with Sandy's horrible behavior, Katherine demanded, "Can't anyone control that dog?"

"Madame," Drake said officiously, "that is precisely what we were attempting to do. However, he is, after all, a _dog_!"

"A dog with no business being in the house if he can't behave any better than that!"

Grace turned to Katherine in astonishment. "Merely a month ago Sandy was a stray on the street. You can't expect him to behave perfectly in such a short amount of time."

"That's my point, Miss Farrell," Katherine explained patiently. "If he can't behave, then he should remain outside until he can."

Grace opened her mouth to respond in kind, but Oliver beat her to it.

"Tabling Sandy's training schedule for the moment, would someone mind explaining just what happened?" he asked as he too took hold of Sandy, just in case he tried to bolt under the table again.

"Simply put," Drake began as he secured the plunger from Punjab, "when _that dog_ heard me announce that I was going to fix the stool in the _bath_room off the kitchen," here Drake waved the plunger to illustrate his tale, "he apparently thought I was going to give him a bath, and strenuously objected to the perceived activity." Sandy's accompanying whine further backed up Drake's hypothesis. "He took off like a shot through the kitchen, knocking over a tray of dishes before he stampeded in here. You know the rest, sir."

"Ah, yes," Oliver smiled, emitting one more chuckle. He turned to his daughter. "Annie, why don't you, Robert and Penelope escort Sandy outside before he does any more damage while we clean up in here?" He stood, turning Sandy over to Annie's capable hands. "Drake, tell Mrs. Pugh to serve dessert in the library in 15 minutes."

"Very good, sir." As Drake began to exit the room, he swung the plunger around to bring it under his arm.

Sandy saw this and gave a mighty yelp, furiously back peddling on the highly waxed and very slippery floor. Annie hung on, but was only able to get him under control again when Grace grabbed him around the middle, once again allowing her skirt to fall open.

"I'll help you get him outside," Grace said, her voice strained with the effort of holding Sandy still. They began to lead him away, Penelope dutifully following, her sullen pout firmly in place.

Robert remained behind, staring after the trio with obvious veneration.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Oliver asked.

"What?" Robert turned wide eyes to his future step-father. "Oh, yes sir. I was just admiring the scenery." At Oliver's questioning look, he returned to watching Sandy's escort, somewhat in awe, "That woman has _the_ last word in legs!"

Startled, Oliver followed Robert's gaze as they watched Annie and Grace finally maneuver Sandy out the side door to the east veranda, Grace's torn skirt still providing a stunning view. Unable to drag his eyes away from the image, he agreed, "She certainly does."

* * *

By the time Robert joined Annie and Penelope, he was disappointed to note that Miss Farrell had disappeared, likely gone to tend to her wardrobe. His mind remaining fixed on who he perceived as the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, he didn't hear the harsh words his sister was exchanging with Annie until he was almost on top of them.

"Mother's right, that dog's a menace. I doubt he can ever be trained for acceptable behavior. He's nothing but a mongrel!" Penelope sniffed in disgust.

Annie narrowed her eyes. "He is not! Our first night here, Sandy saved Daddy Warbucks' life, and he brought the warning that I'd been kidnapped by Miss Hannigan so Punjab could find me. Sandy's my best friend!"

"Figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice tight with anger.

"Birds of a feather, and all. This house is full of mongrels."

Annie's anger escalated until her freckles stood out sharply against her pale skin. "You take that back!"

"Penelope!" Robert chastised, knowing their mother would be most displeased to hear his sister speak that way. "Apologize."

"I most certainly will not. It's true! And it's not just her and the mutt. Her so-called father wasn't even born here; he came from England," Penelope sneered, as if the idea left a bad taste in her mouth. "I doubt he's even an American citizen. He's probably a spy for the English government, maybe trying to deepen this depression," she accused scathingly. "Don't you think it's curious that The Crash didn't hurt him at all, while everyone else lost practically everything? At the very least, he's a traitor. After all, he is working with a president who wants to take money away from people who actually earn it and give it to whoever's too lazy to work!"

That was all Annie was going to take. Not only had Penelope insulted Sandy, but also President Roosevelt and, most importantly, Daddy Warbucks. With no further warning, her right fist shot out and connected hard with Penelope's mouth, rendering a satisfying crunch.

Robert stood by speechless as his sister fell to the ground in a heap.

Fists cocked, Annie swung in his direction. "You have anything you want to say?"

Noting Sandy's low growl and keeping a close eye on Annie's fists, Robert raised both hands in supplication. "Nothing at all."

"You hit me!" Penelope spit a bloody tooth into the palm of her hand. "You knocked my tooth out!"

"I'll do more n' that if you ever say anything bad about Daddy Warbucks again!"

Penelope stared up at Annie in pure loathing. "I was right; you are a mongrel! I'm telling my mother!" Blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she jumped up and ran toward the house, fist clenched around the errant tooth.

It was only then that Annie began to relax her fighting stance. Sandy's fur still stood on end, however.

Not wanting to upset Annie further, Robert kept his distance. "Don't worry. I'll tell mother that Penelope had it coming, has had it coming for a long time, in fact. Maybe she'll think twice about being rude from now on." He turned to follow his sister, who had already disappeared into the mansion. "Nice right hook, by the way," he threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

* * *

Grace silently entered the office to find Mr. Warbucks behind his desk, head cradled in both hands while a cigar smoldered unnoticed in the ashtray.

"Sir?"

Warbucks pulled his hands away from his face with a prolonged sigh. "Is she asleep?"

"No. She's contemplating the numerous ways to respond to an argument besides punching the other person in the mouth, and she's going to present them to you tomorrow morning at breakfast." _That way perhaps you both can learn something_. Grace wisely kept that last to herself, however, as she gained her usual chair across the massive desk from his.

Warbucks gave a slight smile. "That ought to be instructive for both of us."

Grace laughed lightly as he voiced her very thought, but sobered quickly. "What happened exactly? She refused to tell me anything."

Oliver leaned back heavily in his chair. "It seems that young Miss Allen made a few disparaging remarks about me that Annie took exception to. For various reasons I won't go into, she accused me of being a traitor and a spy for England."

Grace couldn't help the half snort, half giggle that escaped. "She thinks you're a spy?"

"That's the gist of it."

"No wonder Annie punched her."

"Deserved as it may have been, Annie can't go around hitting everyone who disagrees with her."

"I quite agree with you, sir, although I think Penelope was looking for a fight."

Warbucks' thoughts hearkened back to the scowl he observed on the young girl all evening "I also quite agree with _you_." Groaning, he leaned on the desk and again dropped his head into hands. "Tonight did not go as Katherine and I had anticipated."

Grace silently observed him for a moment, then mustered her courage to speak. "Sir, if I may make a suggestion?"

He held his hands away from his face in exasperation. "I'm all ears, Miss Farrell."

"Annie has experienced some very big changes lately. She's gone from trying to simply survive at the orphanage on the barest minimum to living here, the veritable lap of luxury. In the meantime she was kidnapped, adopted and is now gaining a family complete with sibling rivalry, all in five weeks. That's a lot to ask of a ten year old. I think she needs to slow down."

Warbucks stared at her in surprise. "Has she only been here five weeks?" At Grace's nod, he mused, "It seems like much longer."

Grace smiled. "I know. It feels like she's been a member of this household forever."

Warbucks considered her words. "Just how do you propose we slow Annie down?"

Here was the part he probably wasn't going to like. "You've been so busy lately that you haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with her." Grace immediately raised her hands to ward off the rebuttal she already saw poised on her boss' lips. "I'm not criticizing you; for the most part that's unavoidable. You're always very busy. But Annie needs you as much as every king, president and ambassador you deal with. You have to decide what kind of father you want to be; a figurehead father, or a real one." She let Warbucks digest her words for a moment. She added gently, "Annie would like a real father, but that's going to take a full commitment from you, and that means spending time with her without other distractions, including those from a future mother." This last she added almost under her breath, not sure how he might take it.

He looked at her sharply, but chose not to comment. Instead he noted, "It all sounded so simple that morning in the garden."

Grace smiled. "You'll probably find that adopting her will turn out to be the easiest part of being a father."

He ran a hand over his head then crossed his arms. "As busy as I am, just when am I supposed to spend time with her?"

"It turns out you're free tomorrow."

His eyes narrowed in response. "Really? That was easy. Why do I feel like I've been set up?"

Grace merely shrugged.

He accepted the last minute schedule change without batting an eyelash. "I don't suppose you have any idea what we could do that she would like?"

"It really doesn't matter what you do with her, sir. She'll enjoy it, whatever it is, as long as she's with you."

That comment stunned Warbucks. "Do you really think so?"

Grace laughed aloud at his surprise. "Mr. Warbucks, Annie adores you. All she wants is your attention." _And so do I._ She managed to squelch that thought before it made its way past her lips. "But," she added quickly to cover her near slip, "she has mentioned that she would really like to see Coney Island. And the ocean."

"The ocean? She's lived in New York City her entire life and she's never seen the ocean?" he asked in disbelief.

"How would she ever have gotten there?"

"Good heavens!" Having spent so much time on the ocean himself, if was hard for him to imagine someone living so close to it and never having seen it, yet alone experienced its many moods and colors.

"Either destination would provide an excellent outing tomorrow."

"Hmm? Oh, yes." He roused himself from his reverie to say, "But an outing the likes of which you're suggesting is hardly suitable punishment for hitting her future step-sister!"

"Having Penelope as a step-sister should be punishment enough!" Grace said, then her mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh, sir, I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

To her relief he waved her comment aside. "Once again, I find that I agree with you." He mulled the plan over for a few seconds. "All right, pencil it in, Miss Farrell. I'll be spending tomorrow with my daughter!"

Grace presented a dazzling smile. "My pleasure, sir."

In that moment he realized he'd do nearly anything to keep that smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

HEART TO HEART

"Can we ride it again, Daddy Warbucks? _Pleeeease!_"

"Annie, you've ridden it three times already! Aren't you getting dizzy?" _I certainly am!_ Oliver thought to himself as he guided Annie off the carousel at Deno's Amusement Park on Coney Island.

"Not a bit! I could ride this all day. Please!"

Nearby stood Grace, the Asp and Punjab, who had a tight hold on Sandy's leash. Although midweek, the park was crowded, and the dog had been dancing excitedly along with his mistress all day. Punjab didn't want to have to chase Sandy through the thick crowd, and with the giant holding tightly to the leash, Sandy wasn't going anywhere.

Oliver made his way over to the trio, stopping next to Grace, who was holding a large stuffed elephant. He leaned over and spoke low in her ear, "Since Coney Island was your idea, I elect you to ride it with her this time."

Grace offered him a smile, then shoved the elephant into his arms. "I'd be glad to. Come on, Annie," she called to the young red head, "one more time. Then it's on to something else."

"Oh boy!" Annie grabbed Grace's hand and pulled her onto the ride.

When he'd first told Annie of the outing following her recitation to him at breakfast, she'd begged that Grace be asked to come along. Despite knowing it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, Oliver had been unable to say no. Now, watching them giggle together on the carousel, he was glad Grace had accepted the invitation. He couldn't help but smile at their antics, and was once again struck by how his life had changed since Annie's arrival. He was certain no one he'd done business with in the past would believe a report of Oliver Warbucks standing alongside an amusement park ride, holding a huge stuffed elephant, smiling goofily at his secretary and a little orphan girl riding a carousel.

_No,_ he corrected, _you can't call her that. She's not an orphan anymore._ He still found it all hard to believe, and shook his head at the incongruity. He saw Grace glance his way, and always sensitive to his moods, her expression grew slightly concerned at his action. She raised her eyebrows in silent inquiry, so he smiled to reassure her that nothing was amiss. Her answering smile sent a wave of affection surging through him and he sighed in contentment, impossibly happy at simply being near her and Annie.

Annie drug them around the park for another two hours until Grace suggested they head to the beach for a much needed break. Annie readily agreed, and literally jumped for joy when Oliver produced her yellow swimsuit and told her she could actually swim in the ocean, if she kept close to shore.

Upon arrival, Annie stood in awe for a full five minutes, entranced by the beauty and sheer power of the Atlantic. When Oliver told her he'd spent several years working on ships that plied that vast expanse between America and Europe, she couldn't even wrap her mind around it.

"Your father owns many ships, Annie, some quite large," Grace said gently.

Annie looked at Oliver seriously. "Do you think I could sail on one someday, Daddy?"

"I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Annie."

She nodded in reply, and stared out at the sea until Grace asked if she'd like to search the beach for shells or swim first.

Sandy answered that question when he decided he'd had enough of standing around gawking and lurched away from the momentarily subdued Punjab to leap into the water with a splash! Barking joyfully, he paddled around, then pawed his way to shore where he sprayed everyone with sea water. Annie squealed in delight and made to dash for the water herself but Grace caught her arm, directing her to the changing tent set up nearby for bathers.

In a flash Annie was in her swimsuit and raucously enjoying the waves with Sandy. The ocean was completely different from the pool at home! She screamed in laughter every time a wave sent her sprawling. She and Sandy played tag and fetch with a floating stick.

"Come on, Daddy Warbucks! The water's perfect!"

So Oliver, pants rolled up to his knees, joined Annie, and was soon soaked with all the splashing and carrying on.

Grace removed her shoes and stockings and began combing the shore line for pretty shells. She brought several to Annie's attention and let her choose which ones she wanted to keep. As the beach was nearly deserted but for their party, and Sandy was now otherwise occupied, the Asp and Punjab took the opportunity to relax a bit as well. Both still kept their eyes on the surroundings, and positioned themselves one on each beach end so as to be better able to ward off trouble, regardless of the direction it came from.

Father and daughter whooped and hollered for another thirty minutes until, finally content to let Annie and Sandy carry on without him, Oliver took a seat on the beach to hopefully dry off before he had to get back in the car. Grace sat down next to him, giving him a cool once-over.

"I brought extra clothes for Annie, but I didn't expect to need some for you, too."

"Neither did I! I'll be fine," he assured her, but looked down at his shirt. "Although I'm not sure my shirt will ever be white again."

Grace leaned back, propped up on her hands. "Children are meant to get dirty, and so are the adults who play with them."

"Then why are you so clean?"

Grace smiled serenely, eyes shut against the sun. "Like Punjab, I have my ways."

_Yes you do._ With her eyes closed, he was able to scrutinize her more openly than usual. Accommodating the day's planned activities, she wore a light, loose dress he'd never seen before. Or if he had, he didn't recall it. And for the first time since the day of Annie's adoption party, she had her hair down. It was gently blowing in the breeze coming off the ocean, the curled ends wrapping enchantingly around her neck. He was suddenly besieged by an overwhelming impulse to kiss that neck, starting right under her chin and stopping only…. He snapped his attention back to Annie and Sandy before his imagination completely ran away with him.

When the silence between them stretched a little too long, Grace cracked her eye open and saw him staring resolutely out to sea, his cheeks stained a dull red as though he was embarrassed. She dropped her gaze, immediately ashamed of herself. She'd been too forward again, and he'd taken exception to her comment. Lately she was often overcome by a strong desire to tease him, and words popped out of her mouth practically before she even thought them. She'd never experienced this with him before, and couldn't imagine why it was happening now. Perhaps it was due to his obvious happiness when around Annie. It was the first time he'd ever been truly happy during their acquaintance, and like Annie's bubbliness, it was infectious. But that didn't mean she should give in to the urge. She'd always been able to keep her affection for him under control, but despite her resolution the day he announced his and Mrs. Allen's engagement, it had leaked out more and more until sometimes she was undeniably flirting with him! She'd never been a flirt with anyone, but he just…drew it out of her! Such as today; she'd been smiling and bantering with him since they left the house. They never used to behave that way around each other, but she simply couldn't seem to help it.

Grace knew she'd have to reign in her flirtatious notions, and hoped the quickly approaching wedding would encourage that. Strangely, though, besides the botched planning session with Mrs. Allen, she and Mr. Warbucks hadn't even discussed the engagement or anything connected to it. It was as if it didn't exist. Except when Mrs. Allen was actually present in the house, he rarely mentioned her, and even then most often in connection with the oil platform, not the wedding. Grace didn't understand it, but she wasn't going to take time away from this perfect day to dwell on it. Nor was she going to squelch her natural tendencies where he was concerned. That could come later. Right now Katherine Allen and the wedding seemed far away, and today she intended to enjoy herself.

Grace's gaze followed Annie and Sandy as they worked back and forth in the surf. Annie was still shrieking when a wave knocked her over.

"She certainly is having a good time."

Oliver finally had his emotions under control enough to trust his voice. "Yes. Annie finds something enjoyable in everything she does. Her positive enthusiasm is one of the things I love most about her."

The ease with which he made the statement struck her. A month ago he never would have made a declaration like that. She sat up and smiled at the image of the girl and her dog. "Annie is a very special little girl."

"Why did you choose her?"

His question took her by surprise. "What?"

Turning his full attention to Grace, he cocked his head, perplexed. "Out of all the little girls in that orphanage, what made you choose Annie?"

Grace's thoughts flew back to that fateful morning in Miss Hannigan's office. "I…don't know exactly," she considered. "I think maybe it was because she was in trouble."

This was news to Oliver. "In trouble? What do you mean?"

"She'd done something wrong right before I arrived, something big. I think perhaps she'd run away, but I've never thought to ask her. Whatever it was, Miss Hannigan appeared to be furious with her, and Annie was shut up in the office closet." She paused. "Now that I think on it, my arrival probably interrupted her punishment. It's likely Miss Hannigan threw her in there until she could get rid of me!"

Oliver clenched his fist as anger swept through him. The idea of his Annie at the mercy of that woman made him shudder. "And I almost sent her back there." He shook his head and drew a deep breath.

Grace noticed the tight fist and hard set of his jaw, and before she considered the action, she reached out and laid a comforting hand on his arm. "But you didn't."

He glanced down piercingly at her hand, then back at her. Suddenly he smiled and the tension left his body in a rush. Placing his hand atop hers, he gave it a squeeze. "Thank goodness you were so persuasive that morning in the garden. And that, for once, I listened to you!" He gave her hand one more squeeze, then let it go.

She withdrew hers, saying, "Yes, things have worked out well, I'd say."

He chortled. "Very well," and looked back to Annie. The girl was now jumping over Sandy and landing in the oncoming waves. She whooped with joy, even as she got a mouthful of saltwater. He smiled. "So you chose her to save her from a punishment?"

Pondering his words, Grace shook her head. "No," she decided. "While Miss Hannigan and I were talking, Annie poked her head out the door, and proceeded to charm her way into my affections." She grinned. "Before I knew it, I was literally in a tug of war with Miss Hannigan over Annie, during which I alluded to a close friendship between you and the president of the Board of Orphans and threatened Miss Hannigan's job."

"But I hadn't met the president of the Board of Orphans at that time," Oliver said, confused.

"I know."

The truth of her actions dawned on him. "You _lied_?"

Grace ducked her head sheepishly. "In a manner of speaking."

Oliver's eyes were wide as he evaluated her in a new light.

"Don't look at me like that!" she proclaimed in defense. "It worked, and in seconds both Annie and Sandy were in the car and headed for home."

He regarded her closely. "So, you chose a girl orphan even though you should have known that I meant for you to get a boy, you lied in order to get the girl you wanted, and agreed to bring along a dog to boot. All without giving me any warning at all."

She turned to him, aghast. "I did what you told me to do!"

"No you didn't, and you knew it while you were doing it," he accused lightly.

Grace had the decency to look abashed. "Maybe I was a little high-handed."

"A little?!"

"Do you wish I hadn't chosen Annie?" she finally asked in exasperation.

"Of course not," he assured, "I just didn't know you could be so devious."

Grace's expression became unreadable and she returned her attention to Annie. "There's a lot you don't know about me," she stated quietly with a wistful smile.

"I'm beginning to understand that." He appraised her for a moment. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Sir?" she asked.

"Enlighten me," her repeated. "Tell me about yourself."

Now she was bewildered. "Tell you…tell you what?"

Caught a bit off guard himself, he hesitated as visions of extremely intimate details about Grace pummeled his mind. "Um, well," he floundered, casting about wildly for something to cover his sudden discomfort. He landed on what was familiar. "How are you set financially?"

He couldn't have surprised her more. "Excuse me?"

_That was well done!_ Oliver chided himself, but he had little choice but to follow it through. Clearing his throat to hide any awkwardness, he clarified, "Are your finances in a stable position? If there's one thing I've learned in my career, it's that financial security is anything but." Warming to his subject, he reasoned, "Although I don't see one on the horizon, another financial crisis could theoretically hit at any time. I would certainly do what I could for you, but knowing you would be...," he paused, unsure how he should express what he meant. "…safe," he continued, "would set my mind at ease."

She stared at him wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape.

Her silence began to make him uncomfortable again. "You certainly aren't required to share that information if you'd rather not." he hurried on. "It's none of my business, and…."

"No," she interrupted, "it's fine. I just never realized you were worried on that count." Her smile grew. "No one's ever asked me that before. It's…nice to have somebody care."

Her words didn't assuage his discomfort much. In fact, heat flushed his face at the revelation that, although completely unintended, he may have allowed more of his feelings to show than was prudent. She seemed to take his concern at face value, however, and gave him a straight answer.

"My investments are actually fairly strong at the moment."

Now it was his turn to be stunned. "You invest?!" he blurted. He'd been expecting her to say that she saved a portion of her salary every month, not report on an investment file.

"Yes," she nodded. "Not to the extent that you do, of course, but I've built up a comfortable cushion that will see me through for quite a while if anything untoward should happen."

Still a bit dazed, he noted, "I didn't realize you had an interest in the market."

She shrugged. "I find it rather exciting, actually, and I've learned a lot in the last few years. I'd say I've had a good teacher." She looked at him meaningfully.

It took him a moment to catch the significance of her statement. "_Me_?!"

She laughed aloud at his seeming disbelief. "When the leading financial mind of the age is telling his brokers to 'buy copper, buy copper,' it might be a good idea to look into buying some copper."

"You listen to what I tell my brokers?" He was stunned again.

"I don't always follow your lead, but you've rarely let me down."

He stared at her completely aghast. "Well, I'll be damned!"

Her laughter grew with his amazement. "I don't know why you're so surprised; I greatly respect your opinion."

"You do?!"

"Of course I do," she confirmed, "and not just on financial matters. You're…you're…," she stumbled, trying to find the one word that would adequately convey her complete admiration of him. _Perfect_ whispered through her mind, but before she could voice her confession, Annie yelled, "Grace, do you want to help me find some more shells?"

Oliver took in his daughter, standing near the water's edge, hands cocked on her hips, and smiled. "Are you telling me you're tired of playing in the water?"

"No," Annie shook her head in mild disgust, "but Sandy is!"

He glanced at Sandy, who'd decided he had cooled down from his romp through Coney Island and was stretched out on the beach, soaking up the sun, snoring loudly.

Thinking Sandy had lasted well beyond his expectations, Oliver stood, offering his hand to Grace and grinning playfully. "There are treasures to be found, Miss Farrell! Shall we?"

Knowing her heart was in her eyes, but not caring in the least, she placed her hand lightly in his.

He grasped it firmly and brought her up, pulling her along, down the beach to join Annie.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

DIS - AGREEMENTS

The following afternoon, Oliver returned home from a late lunch and handed a sheaf of papers to Grace.

"Miss Farrell, I need you to type these points so Ellison can write up an agreement."

She moved towards the typewriter, leafing through the pages, recognizing not only Warbucks' slanted handwriting, but the neat, round cursive of Mrs. Allen's secretary, Mrs. Tipton. She halted midway to the typewriter as the crux of the notes filtered into her consciousness.

"Sir, is this…is this…what is this?" she asked, unwilling to voice what she thought she was looking at.

He'd already moved behind his desk and was picking up the Dictaphone speaker to record some ideas he'd just had regarding the Pittsburgh factory reorganization. Impatient to begin before he lost the thread, he said, "They're points for an agreement I'm drawing up with Katherine."

Still reading, and growing more alarmed by the second, Grace asked in astonishment, "Are these for a _pre-nuptial agreement_?!"

"Yes," and he sat down, opening his mouth to make his first comment.

"Mr. Warbucks, I can't type this."

He paused and turned to her in irritation. "Why not?"

She shook her head, her face full of consternation. "Sir, this should remain between you and Mrs. Allen. I shouldn't be privy to this information. It's far too…intimate."

Now completely annoyed, he barked, "You work on all my confidential matters. That's your job. Besides, there's nothing intimate about this, Miss Farrell. It's to be a business agreement, guaranteed to keep our assets separate and protect our interests. That's all. I want it on my desk within the hour." Considering the matter closed, he turned his attention back to the Dictaphone, but Grace had other ideas.

Interrupting him before he even got started, she asked incredulously, "Why do you need to protect your interests? And from whom?"

He turned to her, his eyes hard. "Miss Farrell, as my secretary, I don't require or appreciate a need to explain my actions to you. Just type them so my attorney can begin drawing up the legal document." When she opened her mouth to further the argument, he growled, "On my desk in an hour!"

She stared at him as if he'd asked her to be an accessory to a crime, and for a second it appeared she would refuse. Her gaze drifted to the sheets she held, and he got the distinct impression she wanted to throw them down and immediately wash her hands. Then her posture seemed to wilt and her expression became one of sad resignation. She raised her eyes to him again, and the disappointment they conveyed slammed into him like a wrecking ball.

Grace turned back to the typewriter, muttering a quiet, "Yes, sir."

She said nothing more to him for the rest of the day.

Annie shoved another shell into Cora's hand, enthusing about it much as she had the others she'd already produced.

"Look at this one! I really like this one; it has pink and yellow and red all through it. Do you see it, Uncle James? It reminds me of the rainbow me 'n Grace saw the first week I was here.

"Grace and I, dear," Cora corrected.

"Yeah, me 'n Grace. Don'tcha think it looks like rainbow colors, Aunt Cora?"

Cora smiled, deciding to ignore Annie's lack of refined grammar for the moment. Annie still had a long way to go in the good graces department, but the child was so warm and friendly that she found herself overlooking Annie's "faults" more and more, concentrating instead on simply enjoying her new niece.

And she was a joy. Cora didn't think she'd ever seen a more exuberant young girl. Annie must have been an absolutely darling baby. Her parents had to have been either truly hard-up or truly hard-hearted to let her go.

The very idea of being forced to give up a child made Cora shudder, but she knew this depression caused it to happen nearly every day in New York City. She decided her situation would have to be extremely dire for her to give up her children. In fact, she couldn't even imagine circumstances bad enough that would produce such an outcome.

All that notwithstanding, she felt very lucky that Annie had come into her brother's life, and by default, hers. Cora continued to see a change in Oliver for the good. Today he'd actually greeted her and her husband, James, at the door upon their arrival; before he'd always simply sent word for her to come to his location in the house, and even then he rarely had time to give her more than cursory small talk. She had to get him away from his office for a conversation with any meaning. Even more surprising, when Annie drug out the shells she'd collected from a recent outing to the beach to show her aunt and uncle, he didn't excuse himself as Cora thought he would. Instead he remained, examining the shells with them until summoned away by a telephone call.

James noticed the difference too, and he said as much after Oliver left. Speaking low so Annie wouldn't overhear, he said, "Cora, I didn't believe you when you claimed Oliver had changed, but he seems to be taking his role as Annie's father very seriously."

"It is quite an amazing transformation, isn't it? And I don't think it's a passing fancy. He truly is completely smitten with Annie. It's as if now that Katherine and Annie are here, he's realized there's more to life than just business deals and the bottom line."

Any further comment was interrupted by Oliver's return. "That was Katherine. She's been held up in a meeting, but said she is on her way."

Annie puckered her brows. "Katherine's coming?"

"Yes. She suggested we dine together tonight so she could meet your Uncle James. Plus she and I have a few things to discuss."

"Oh." Annie fell silent for a moment, then she looked at her father suspiciously. "Penelope isn't coming over too, is she?"

To Annie's relief, Oliver actually smiled and shook his head. "No. Katherine and I decided it would be a good idea if you two didn't convene in the same room for a while. Penelope can't afford to lose any more teeth!"

Cora and James both gave him a confused look.

"Annie and Katherine's daughter, Penelope, didn't exactly hit it off when they met," he explained. "Although 'hit' might not be the best word to use in this case. Annie punched her in the mouth and knocked a tooth out."

Cora gasped. "Annie! How could you do such a thing?"

Before Annie could respond, her father raised a hand to ward off his sister's outrage. "Annie already knows it was the wrong thing to do and has written her first essay on what responses are appropriate in that kind of situation. As for Penelope, let's just say that she has learned there are certain things one can't say to Annie without expecting a strong reaction, and leave it at that."

Without preamble, Annie leaned toward her aunt and whispered loudly, "I'll tell you what really happened later."

Oliver sent his daughter an exasperated glance. "Since Katherine is going to be late, why don't you help Mrs. Pugh finish the brownies she's making for your bedtime snack?"

"She's making brownies? Oh boy!" She took off like a shot toward the kitchen.

As Cora began replacing the shells back into their storage box, James looked at Oliver amazed. "Did she really knock the girl's tooth out?"

"Oh yes," Oliver nodded. "Popped her a good one, and once I heard the entire story I'd say that Penelope heartily deserved it. And you don't need to say anything, Cora," he said as he saw his sister open her mouth to comment. "Both girls have been appropriately punished. Although, I must admit, their animosity is a problem I didn't foresee."

"Oh, don't worry, Oliver," James said as Cora snapped the shell box lid closed. "These types of spats always seem to work themselves out. You know how girls are; they'll probably be best friends before the month's over."

Even if Oliver did know "how girls are," he suspected that Annie would clench her fists every time she came into her step-sister's presence. He wasn't sure how to solve the problem, or even if it could be solved. Katherine had suggested they give the girls space and time, and eventually they'd come around. However, given what Penelope had said, he doubted it. He certainly wouldn't come around if he was in Annie's shoes.

Further conversation on the matter was interrupted by the arrival of Katherine.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said as she breezed in. "I was meeting with a group of investors who share my interest in Boeing's new 247 plane. Time got away from me."

"You have an interest in Boeing?" Oliver asked, stung.

"Yes. I told you that."

"No, I don't believe you did." He scrutinized her closely. "Do you realize Boeing is the strongest competitor of my aerospace company?"

Katherine looked at him, slightly exasperated. "I did tell you, and yes, I'm sure Boeing has given you fits in recent years. They're very innovative. You should take note of the amazing features the 247 offers. Not only does it possess retractable landing gear, but…."

Cora noted the hard stare on Oliver's face and interceded before the conversation got heated. "Now, let's not talk of such matters. Tonight is meant for all of us to get to know Katherine better and welcome her into the family, not bicker over business dealings." She said pointedly to her brother.

With a last hard look at Katherine, Oliver relaxed his stance and schooled his features into a practiced expression of ease. "Cora's right, of course."

At that moment, Drake entered the living room, but before he could say anything, Annie bounded in yelling, "Dinner's ready, Daddy Warbucks! Come on, I'm starved!"

With a long suffering look, Drake announced, "As you just heard, sir, dinner will now be served."

James gave a sharp laugh. "I think Annie's vying for your job, Drake."

"As you say, Mr. Edwards. She certainly is louder."

"And faster," James continued to jest. "Perhaps you should run next time."

Taking the comment seriously, Drake looked at him in complete horror. "Really, sir! Butlers do not _run_!"

Cora joined in her husband's laughter and helped him out of his chair, while Katherine raised her eyebrows in Annie's direction.

"Or perhaps Annie should allow Drake to do his job like we discussed the other day."

Nonplussed, Annie responded, "But he did just do his job." Taking her father's and her aunt's hands, she pulled them toward the dining room. "Guess what, Daddy Warbucks. Mrs. Pugh made barbecue ribs, just for me!"

Katherine looked at Oliver in askance as they made their way towards the dining room. "Barbecue ribs? For a formal dinner?"

Oliver smiled. "Annie has been craving them ever since we had some at Coney Island last week. Mrs. Pugh told me that she actually cooked them on a grate over an open fire. The smell has been driving me to distraction all afternoon."

Annie would sanction no more conversation, however, and left the slower adults behind to skip into the dining room.

As he passed Drake in the doorway, Oliver stopped and quietly asked, "Has Miss Farrell returned yet?"

"No, sir, not that I am aware of."

Oliver simply nodded and followed James, Cora and Katherine to the table. While everyone seated themselves, he surreptitiously glanced at the small desk clock on the buffet. It was 7:00 and Grace should have been home long ago. She'd left shortly before lunch to research some land titles for him, and had remained out the rest of the day. Even if she ran into some difficulty at the deed office, she should have been able to finish hours ago. It looked as if she was still avoiding him, as she had been doing ever since he'd asked her to type the notes for his and Katherine's agreement, which, he realized with a grimace, would now have to be amended to accommodate this Boeing interest of Katherine's. He scowled to himself. Why she didn't tell him of that last week was a mystery, despite her claim to the contrary. He gave the clock another glance, but thoughts of Grace were set aside as the staff served the appetizers.

* * *

Grace pulled her car into its usual spot behind the garage and shut off the engine. Leaning her head against the back of the seat, she produced a heartfelt sigh. She was tired, hungry and above all, discouraged.

She'd finished the research Mr. Warbucks requested hours ago, but hadn't wanted to return to the house. Instead she'd gone for a long walk, trying to sort through her thoughts on Mr. Warbucks' engagement and the implications it would have on her life.

The keen disappointment she'd felt upon reading that horrendous pre-nuptial agreement he'd struck with Mrs. Allen still shook her. At first she couldn't decide why she felt that way, but as she dealt with each revision, her disillusionment mounted, focusing solely on Mr. Warbucks. Not only could she not understand why he thought a pre-nuptial agreement was necessary, she was horrified at how extensive it was. Nearly every subsidiary company of Warbucks, International was mentioned, as well as Mrs. Allen's numerous interests, delineating the rightful owner and how many shares that ownership encompassed. It was as if they were laying out who got what in the divorce so they wouldn't have to do it later. Grace couldn't comprehend beginning a marriage with that mindset.

Annie was mentioned only so far as describing the relatively extensive duties Mrs. Allen would have towards her. It didn't appear that Mr. Warbucks would have to do any raising of his daughter at all. It was this part that disturbed Grace the most. He was keeping his companies tightly under his control, but for all intents and purposes he was giving Annie away. She wasn't sure if that was intentional or if that's simply how it looked on paper. Even more curious, Mrs. Allen's children weren't mentioned at all, like they didn't even factor into the equation. Perhaps Mr. Warbucks' responsibility to them was implicit. But if that was the case, so should Mrs. Allen's be towards Annie. The entire thing didn't make sense. Judging by the agreement alone, Grace couldn't figure out just why they were getting married beyond that they truly must love each other.

However even on that point Grace was confused. Mr. Warbucks had always been extremely discreet with his personal life, if indeed he ever had one, but both he and Mrs. Allen were taking discreet to new levels. Not once had she seen them touch beyond his offering an arm as an escort into a room. Grace knew she gave him more heated looks than his fiancée did. This engagement was bringing out a side of him she'd never anticipated. Or rather, it wasn't bringing out what she'd anticipated. In fact, it wasn't bringing out anything in him at all. The passion and energy he displayed for his business wasn't shifting to his fiancée in the least. Not to say that the couple didn't get on well. To the contrary, they could remain in deep conversation for hours, just as they always had. The problem was that beyond arguing a point, there was no passion in their relationship. There was no feeling at all that Grace could discern. This should have made her happy, however it was beginning to cause her grave concern as to the effect it would eventually have on Annie.

Likewise, Annie had obviously not transferred her deep need for affection to Mrs. Allen. She actually ignored her future mother unless the circumstances dictated otherwise. For many matters she went to her father, but for everything else, including gentle affection, she came to Grace herself.

And what did all of this mean for her own feelings regarding Mr. Warbucks? Grace knew she was as deeply in love with him as ever, and the lack of display of feeling of any kind toward the engagement had kept her secret hope alive that he would change his mind. However every revision of the agreement he plowed through sheared off more and more of that hope and increased her apprehension for Annie. The marriage was becoming more of a reality than Grace wanted to accept and he seemed to be pursuing it with a dogged determination.

Truly upset and no closer to finding resolution, she decided she needed a different perspective, so she'd made her way back to her car and driven to her Grandmother Farrell's home

Grace had always had a special relationship with her grandmother. The old lady had been Grace's true friend and confidant throughout her life, weathering the many ups and downs of adolescence and young adulthood right along with her granddaughter. She'd actually guessed the true nature of Grace's feelings towards her boss years before, without receiving one word from Grace on the subject. She would understand Grace's dilemma and help her muddle through the emotional miasma to a solution.

Still sitting in her car, Grace replayed the conversation in her mind.

"_Yes, __your mother told me of the engagement." Her grandmother placed a hand on Grace's knee. In her soft Irish accent, she said, "I wondered how ye've bin copin' ."_

_Grace gave a short, harsh laugh. "How are you supposed to cope when the man you're in love with is marrying someone else?"_

"_So yer feelins' have na' changed, then?"_

_Grace sadly shook her head, thinking back to the wonderful day she'd spent with Oliver and Annie on Coney Island and at the beach. If anything, that day reinforced her love for him and made the blow of that horrid pre-nuptial agreement all the worse._

"_I take it ye' don't plan on tellin' him?"_

_Grace's gaze shot to her grandmother for a quick moment, then fell back to her lap. Again she shook her head. _

_Isibeal Farrell sat back in her chair and calmly took a sip of her iced tea. "In that case, ye' have two choices."_

_Grace looked at her grandmother in confusion. She'd been expecting the familiar argument to attempt to get her to change her mind on that point. When it didn't come, she asked, "What do you mean?"_

"_I won't insult ye' by sayin' ye' need to forget him and find someone else. That would be like tellin' ye' to stop breathin'." Isibeal looked at Grace in knowing sympathy. "So, ye' have to decide if ye' can remain livin' and workin' in that house after the marriage, or if ye' have to move on."_

_In stunned dismay, Grace realized Isibeal was right. Prior to that moment, she hadn't even considered what life would be like at the mansion after the wedding; she'd been so wrapped up in her present misery that she'd consciously chosen not to think beyond the ceremony itself. Now she took a long, hard look at what her days would likely consist of. The heavy presence of Mrs. Allen loomed before her. It would be much more difficult to dismiss the woman as she'd been doing when she was there every day and in the very noticeable role as mistress of the house, to say nothing of Mr. Warbucks' wife. And what of Annie?_

_Although obviously a very strong reason for the marriage, according to the agreement, Grace hadn't really grasped the fact that Mrs. Allen would be Annie's mother and, along with Mr. Warbucks, have sole responsibility for and right to direct the raising of the former orphan. She'd been acquainted with Mrs. Allen for several years, and had the opportunity to get to know her better while working with Mr. Warbucks in New Orleans. She couldn't think of anyone less suited to be Annie's mother than Katherine Allen. It wasn't as if the woman was unkind or cruel, certainly not compared to Miss Hannigan, but she just had the wrong personality for Annie. Annie needed someone warm and loving, someone who would nurture her through the challenges she'd soon face being suddenly thrust into the fast-paced, high-profile world of Oliver Warbucks. Grace knew that person wasn't Katherine Allen. _

_In addition, Grace felt a certain inherent prerogative where Annie was concerned, a prerogative that would, without doubt, cause difficulty with her future mother. Grace had already crossed Mrs. Allen on several decisions concerning the wedding and opinions of the household, and she envisioned many future battles with the woman regarding Annie that would likely jeopardize her job. _

_Grace sighed and rose to stare out the window. The hard truth, whether she liked it or not, was that after the wedding, Mr. Warbucks and Mrs. Allen would be Annie's parents, and she didn't have a right to Annie in any way beyond friendship. She felt her heart break for a second time in as many months. _

_She turned to her grandmother, misery etched deeply into her face. "I don't know," she whispered. "I just don't know." _

The memory of the conversation triggered tears as Grace's spirits took a downward spiral. She looked at the house, bathed in early evening sunshine. She'd lived there for over five years, working alongside Mr. Warbucks every day. Those years were a huge investment on her part, mentally, physically, emotionally. That she might lose it all weighed heavily on her heart.

Suddenly, regardless of her emotional state, her physical state became demanding and her stomach gave a loud growl, reminding her that she'd hadn't eaten for hours. Smiling slightly at the absurdity of the timing, she dried her remaining tears and climbed out of the car, intent on at least getting something to eat.

Entering by the servants' door and leaving her purse, briefcase and gloves on a side table, she quickly made her way to the dining room, wanting nothing but a quiet dinner and a long soak in her bathtub. Knowing Mr. Warbucks dined at 6:00 sharp, there would be little chance of being bothered by anyone at this late hour. Afterwards she'd hunt up Annie and let the girl regale her with tales of her activities of the day. That was sure to cheer her up.

Firmly expecting the dining room to be empty, she was startled beyond belief when she entered the room to find it filled with not only Mr. Warbucks and Annie, but also Katherine Allen and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.

"Oh!" She stopped short, her mouth half open in surprise.

"Miss Farrell!" Oliver blurted. Without thinking, he raised himself out of his chair to greet her.

Still in slight shock, she took in his gesture as well as the sudden silence of the rest of the party. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company. I just came to get some dinner," she ended rather obviously. Recovering quickly, she stated, "I apologize for interrupting. I'll dine upstairs," and made to exit the room.

"Oh, please, Grace, eat here! Can't she eat with us, Daddy Warbucks?" Annie pleaded with her father.

Katherine gently chastised, "Annie, staff doesn't generally dine with the family."

Cora glanced curiously between her brother and his secretary. She'd been under the assumption that Miss Farrell had kept her resolution of not divulging her true feelings to Oliver. If that was still the case, she couldn't explain the very palpable tension arcing between the two of them, or Oliver's current peculiar behavior.

Grace paused uncertainly, one hand braced on the doorframe, looking to Mr. Warbucks to answer Annie's request. When he continued staring at her silently with an odd look on his face, she faltered. "Please, don't feel obligated. I can easily eat upstairs."

Oliver gathered his faculties enough to comprehend the display he was creating. He rarely greeted anyone, let alone an employee, and to do so publicly, at the dining table, and standing to boot, was very out of character. He hadn't realized the extent of the worry he'd been harboring at Grace's absence until she walked in, and his relief at her safe return was so strong that he'd reacted without thinking. Conscious that he still hadn't answered Annie's plea, he shook his head. "Nonsense," he said, gesturing for her to take an empty chair. "Join us." To cover his lapse, he added, "And you can tell me why you've been gone all afternoon on a project that should have taken only a few hours."

Instead of looking away sheepishly as was her wont when reprimanded by him, Grace held his gaze as she moved to take the empty seat next to Annie. "The research took longer than I anticipated, but afterwards I took a walk. I had some things to think about. While I was out I paid a visit to my grandmother."

Annie immediately smiled widely. "Your Grandmother Farrell? The one that came from Ireland?"

Grace returned her smile. "Yes. I told her everything you've been doing lately. She said she'd like to meet you someday."

"That would be swell! I want to hear the story of when she dressed like a man so she wouldn't starve."

"Annie!" Katherine scolded. "Remember what I said about your penchant for making up stories and how wrong it is."

Grace turned to Mrs. Allen in defense. "Annie's not imagining. Grandmother really did masquerade as a man to get work so she wouldn't starve."

Katherine raised her eyebrows. "Indeed? That sounds like an interesting story. Perhaps you can tell it to me sometime."

"I'd like to hear it now," James said as he leaned slightly forward, intrigued. "Was she a convincing man?"

Grace gave a tiny laugh as Saunders set a plate full of steaming ribs in front of her. "She must have been. The first day she found work in Dale & Howell's Foundry. That's where she met my grandfather; he was the assistant manager, and their first meeting took place in the owner's office, where Grandmother told him and Mr. Howell how poorly they were running the factory."

James laughed loudly. "I bet that went over well, especially coming from a new employee."

"Did they fire her?" Annie asked, wide-eyed.

"No," Grace continued, reciting the familiar story. "Her ideas on solving the problems were actually quite sound, and Mr. Howell assigned her to work with Grandfather on how to make the business more efficient."

Oliver looked at her dubiously. "Are you telling me your grandfather didn't know she was a woman?"

Shaking her head, she confirmed, "Not until she told him months later. By that time she'd earned his respect for her very keen business sense."

Befuddled, Katherine asked, "But if she was so successful, why did she risk it all by revealing her true self?"

Grace gave a wistful smile. "She'd fallen in love with him, and decided she'd rather be his wife than his business partner."

Annie scrunched up her face. "Why couldn't she be both?"

Oliver barked a laugh. "Well spoken, Annie!"

"Agreed." Katherine sent a pointed look in her fiancé's direction.

Oliver gave her an answering scowl.

Cora explained to her niece, "Working outside the home becomes rather difficult when you have children."

"Usually," Grace agreed, "but being a wife and mother didn't exactly stifle Grandmother. She actually continued to visit the foundry, offering her opinion whenever she thought it was needed. She just brought the children along."

"To a foundry?!" Katherine gasped.

"It was a bit unorthodox, I know, but Grandmother always said that was the best way for them to learn what their father did for a living. It fostered my father's interest in hardware."

Any further exposition was interrupted when Annie pronounced, "Well, I want a career whether I'm married or not. I wannna be a secretary just like Grace!"

All eyes turned to her, and Katherine choked on her iced tea.

"What?" Annie asked, not understanding in the least the import of her comment.

"Well, dear," Katherine demurely wiped her mouth, smiling, "your father's wealth will preclude your need to have a career of any type, let alone that of a secretary."

Cora's eyes went wide at the insult her brother's fiancée had just delivered to Miss Farrell, although suspected that it was inadvertent. She turned to Oliver to see if he was going to respond to the comment, but Grace beat him to it.

"What's wrong with being a secretary, Mrs. Allen?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Oh, nothing, of course," Katherine expounded. "Don't misunderstand me, Miss Farrell. I meant no disrespect. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for me to function without Mrs. Tipton; the woman is an absolute wonder. But surely we all agree that Annie should aspire to greater things."

Grace's eyes flashed and Cora actually saw her cheeks grow red, but before she could respond, Oliver interposed, "If Annie wants to be a secretary when she grows up, then she'll have my full support. It would be a good way for her to learn how a business operates and how to manage her time. She could also be president of the United States someday, at which she would also have my full support." He sent his daughter a wink, and was rewarded with an answering grin. "The important thing is for her to enjoy what she's doing and do it to the best of her ability. Beyond that, it's of little significance just what she does."

"That's all true, Oliver," Katherine began, "but you can't possibly convince me that you'd be satisfied with her working as a mere secretary."

"Why?"

"Oliver," Katherine continued, wholly exasperated, "that would be positively insupportable as completely beneath her station."

Grace saw the familiar dark expression spread across his face, warning of an imminent explosion. His eyes deepened into tiny slits while his mouth formed a hard line. "Don't forget, Katherine, that my career began as a twelve year old penniless cabin boy."

"Of course I haven't forgotten."

"No job is beneath anyone, as far as I'm concerned," he responded tightly. "Not only did working as a cabin boy allow me to come to America, but it taught me invaluable insight into the shipping industry, so much so that less than a year later I bought the ship out from under its captain and never looked back."

Katherine opened her mouth to further her point, but James interrupted.

"In that case, you'd better be on your guard, Oliver. Perhaps Miss Farrell here has designs on buying Warbucks, International out from under _you_!"

It took a second, but the hardness began to leave Oliver's face. Recalling his conversation with Grace on the beach regarding her financial situation, he sent her a sly glance. "That wouldn't surprise me."

Cora again caught the strange look that passed between her brother and Miss Farrell, as if they shared a private joke. Miss Farrell's eyes actually twinkled!

"If I'm president, can I have barbecue ribs every day?" Annie asked hopefully.

Katherine laughed, completely unaffected by the heated conversation moments earlier. "Of course you can! Although as president, you'd be expected to eat them with a fork instead of your fingers."

"Why?" Annie licked the excess sauce off her hand, ignoring her napkin.

"Because eating food with your fingers is considered poor table etiquette."

"Table what?" Annie asked in wonder.

"Etiquette," Cora pronounced slowly, and then spelled it, eager to leave the recently tense conversation behind.

"It's French," Grace added. "In this case it means proper manners."

"Miss Farrell is right," Katherine agreed. "There is never a situation where eating food with your fingers is acceptable."

"I disagree," Grace continued unabated, staring steadily at Mrs. Allen. "I've always thought barbecue ribs should be eaten at a picnic in the backyard with the entire family, along with corn on the cob, rhubarb pie and _a lot_ of napkins!" With that she picked up another rib with her fingers and gingerly tore off a hunk of the tender meat, popping it in her mouth with a wink of her own in Annie's direction.

"You'll find not many people hold that opinion, Miss Farrell," Katherine responded with more than a tinge of annoyance.

"Could Sandy come to the picnic too?" Annie asked, referring to the currently banished Sandy during the evening's meal in deference to their guests.

"If he ever learns to behave!" Katherine closed the subject.

* * *

Oliver poured a generous amount of brandy into his glass and took a fortifying swallow before carrying another to Katherine, who was sitting in a nearby armchair. She took the proffered glass, thanking him with a smile as he settled into the companion armchair opposite a large table. She swirled the contents under her nose, allowing the bouquet to waft upwards before tasting the amber liquid. She sighed in contentment.

"Oliver, this is delicious. You've always had discriminating taste in exquisite liquor." She took another drink.

He chuckled. "I have many discriminating tastes, and not just for liquor," he answered cryptically.

"Now that sounds intriguing. Perhaps I'll discover some of them over time."

He raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps."

Her smile broadened at his ambiguity and she shook her head. She truly enjoyed spending time with him. Even when he was being difficult, a part of her reveled in his persona and energy, enticed by the magnetism he effused. She privately wondered where it would lead.

Keeping those thoughts to herself, she cradled her glass in her hands and asked, "Shall we discuss the agreement points I mentioned earlier today?"

"Before we begin, I want to talk about what happened during dinner."

"Yes?"

"Katherine, it's apparent you're already taking on your duties regarding Annie's instruction, and I know she has a lot to learn, but that doesn't mean you can dictate her entire life."

She cocked her head appraisingly, gauging his meaning. Guessing his comment was rooted in the discussion over Annie's desire to be a secretary, and, more importantly, his reaction, she offered, "Oliver, I meant no offense by my comments. I simply want Annie to be aware of everything that is now available to her."

"I agree with you, but she's only been here six weeks, and she's still discovering the world she's suddenly entered. I don't want her to be limited by the new world any more than her former one. I won't brook snobbery and arrogance on her part or yours."

She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, considering what he'd said. She'd heard that he'd fought hard against those very things through the early part of his career. From the point of view of the wealthy elite, he was an upstart and an interloper, and a rude one at that. But embarrassingly large amounts of wealth could offset many shortcomings, and as time went on and it became obvious that Oliver's fortune wasn't a flash in the pan, he was grudgingly accepted by his peers. At this point no one would dare not to. With a sudden epiphany, she noted, "Although we're in very similar circumstances at this time in our lives, we actually come from vastly different backgrounds. I was born into a wealthy family, while you…."

"While I was born into complete poverty, and by all reckoning should have stayed there," he finished for her.

"You have defied the odds," she agreed.

He stared into his own glass of brandy as if it could unlock all the secrets he'd been seeking answers to in the course of his life. "Living proof the American system really works," he said softly to himself.

"What was that?"

He looked at her, as if just remembering she was in the room. "Nothing," he shook his head dismissively. "Just something Miss Farrell said to Annie on her first night here." He studied Katherine intently. "I never gave it much thought, but we have led very different lives. Whereas I spent my entire adolescence working…."

"I spent mine at exclusive boarding schools."

He gave a soft grunt. "My formal education only went to the 6th grade. I wasn't even out of grammar school when I signed onto that ship."

Katherine looked at him in wonder. "What prompted you to do that?"

He didn't answer for quite some time, and she was beginning to think he wouldn't when he finally said, "I had my reasons," taking a deep draft of the brandy.

"Would you care to share them?"

Again staring into his glass, he bluntly replied, "No," strangely reluctant to impart to Katherine the story he'd readily told Annie. He realized with a jolt that he had far more in common with his adopted daughter than he did with his soon-to-be wife, and he wasn't sure he wanted Annie to lead the type of life Katherine obviously had planned for her. He again felt that tingle of misgiving regarding his arrangement with Katherine.

Unaware of his turmoil, Katherine accepted his diffidence with a nod. "In that case, I suggest we get down to the business at hand."

Grateful to leave the past where it belonged, he hurried to agree. "You said earlier that you've taken issue with a few points of the current version of our agreement?"

"Yes, I have."

"Alright, let me hear them. And we also need to discuss your business with Boeing." His eyes grew hard.

She gave him her own enigmatic smile.

* * *

Mrs. Pugh skillfully guided Annie's hand that held the knife over the surface of the brownies, spreading the gooey frosting evenly. She was just about to comment on the good job the girl was doing when Miss Farrell calmly walked over and swiped her finger through the chocolate coat, leaving a track right through the middle of the pan. She popped her finger in her mouth as Annie yelled her indignation.

"Grace! It was perfect!"

"Mmm," Grace sighed in rapture as she licked her finger. "Yep. Perfect, as usual, Mrs. Pugh."

"It tastes even better with the brownie," the cook replied as she swatted Grace's hand with a spatula.

"Don't worry, I intend to experience it that way as well."

Mary and Patsy, a downstairs maid, entered the kitchen, returning from delivering coffee to Mr. Warbucks and Mrs. Allen in the library. Mary had a look of rapture about her.

"I just can't get over it. It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen! It just leaps out at you and grabs your eye the moment you see it. I didn't know he had such good…."

Mary was interrupted when Patsy dug her elbow into her side, and caught sight of her co-worker nodding her head in Miss Farrell's direction.

"Oh," Mary came to a clumsy halt, grasping Patsy's meaning, but not in time to stop herself before mentioning the engagement ring in front of Miss Farrell.

Grace sighed in irritation and annoyance. Ever since her reluctant announcement the night of Annie's party regarding her feelings towards Mr. Warbucks, the staff had been tiptoeing around her whenever he and Mrs. Allen were mentioned, throwing her unendurable looks of sympathy and understanding. She'd had quite enough of it, and decided the best way to address it was to dismiss the significance of the engagement, starting with the ring.

"It is a beautiful ring, isn't it?" she asked Mary as she made her way to the sink to wash her hand of the remaining frosting.

"What ring?" Annie asked innocently, trying to fix the damage Grace had done to the brownies.

"Mrs. Allen's engagement ring, dear," Mrs. Pugh supplied.

"Oh, that. I guess it's pretty," Annie shrugged. "Actually, I think it's awful big."

Both Mary and Patsy laughed. "Well of course it's big, Annie! You wouldn't expect your father to give his fiancée anything else, would you?" Patsy exclaimed.

"Oh, I don't know," Mrs. Pugh said knowingly. "There's big and then there's classy."

Mary guffawed. "What's the difference?"

"In this case, plenty!" Mrs. Pugh poured the last of the frosting from the bowl onto the brownies for Annie to spread out, which she did with gusto, finally able to cover the hole made by Grace's finger.

"I'll take the bowl," Grace said, reaching towards the portly cook.

Mrs. Pugh held it against her ample chest. "Are you going to wash it or lick it out?"

Grace smiled and quirked an eyebrow. "Both!"

"Well, at least you're honest," the older woman allowed, and handed the bowl to her manager, who immediately grabbed the spatula and began working it around the bowl's edge, scraping the last dregs of frosting onto the spatula and then onto her tongue. She sighed in contentment.

Now that the taboo topic had been brought into the open, Mary eagerly asked Mrs. Pugh, "What's the main stone? It's blue like a sapphire, but I don't know; it's not quite the right shade."

"That's because it's not a sapphire," Grace responded, catching an errant drop of frosting off her lower lip with her finger.

"It's not? Then what is it?"

"It's a blue diamond, 55 carat. Rather rare, actually." She carried the now frosting-free bowl to the sink and dropped it in the hot, soapy water left there for the dirty dishes.

Patsy looked at Miss Farrell in wonder. "How do you know?"

"I processed the invoice." Grace energetically scrubbed the bowl clean and then wiped it dry with a dish towel

"Well that's adding insult to injury," Patsy said under her breath.

Grace pretended not to hear her as she continued, "The ring is in line with several other pieces of jewelry Mr. Warbucks owns."

This grabbed Annie's attention. "Daddy Warbucks has jewelry, Grace?"

"Yes, he has many nice pieces."

"But he's a man!" Annie pronounced, confused. "What would a man do with jewelry?"

"He's a very rich man," Mary declared, "who needs some way to show off his wealth!"

"He certainly found the ring to do that!" Patsy agreed.

"Are you talking about Mrs. Allen's engagement ring?" Mabel Reinhold asked as she entered from the servants' stairway. She moved to join Mary and Patsy near the work table. "It's the most amazing ring I've ever seen! It picks up the light no matter where she is. I bet it's stunning in full sunlight."

Grace had heard enough. The dishcloth still in her hands, she exclaimed, "We all agree, it's a beautiful ring! Now don't you three have work that requires your attention? If not, I can find something."

Mabel looked at Miss Farrell, her eyes wide at her manager's tone. "No, I'm finished. I just came down to tell you…."

"You can tell me tomorrow," Grace interrupted, trying to keep her temper in check. "It's late. Go home, Mabel. You should have left hours ago." Without giving Mabel a chance to answer, she wheeled on Mary and Patsy. "And why are you two still here?"

Realizing they'd played their manager's good humor to the limits, the women sobered. "Yes, Miss Farrell, right away," and both swiftly made their way from the room.

Before any of them managed to get out of the kitchen, Annie piped up, "I still think it's awful big!"

"Yes, Annie, it is!" Mrs. Pugh agreed.

Grace dropped the dishcloth on the counter and pinched the bridge of her nose. _I did not handle that well._

Any further discussion was interrupted by the timely arrival of Drake with the message that Mrs. Allen had departed and Mr. Warbucks wanted to see Miss Farrell in the library.

_Swell,_ she thought, believing he planned to rake her over the coals for being gone all afternoon .

With an instruction to Annie to save her a brownie, which she figured she'd need after the upcoming confrontation, she made her way to the library.

Mrs. Pugh watched her leave. To Drake and Mabel, she said softly, "If you ask me, expensive ring or no, that man doesn't know a jewel when he sees one!"

* * *

Upon entering the library, Grace found Mr. Warbucks alone, smoking a cigar and reading the evening newspaper.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Folding the paper, he said, "I need you to take a few notes for the marriage contract, Miss Farrell, before I forget just what Katherine agreed to this time."

"Certainly, sir," she responded automatically, making her way to the desk to gather a pad and pencil. Although by now quite used to the existence of the pre-nuptial agreement, she'd found the best way to deal with it was to emotionally detach herself by thinking of it simply in terms of disconnected words, whether during dictation or typing. Thus disguising her true feelings behind a mask of extreme professionalism, she seated herself behind the desk and faced him, pencil poised above the notepad.

Oliver noted her position and issued a sigh. It would have made far more sense to sit in the armchair recently vacated by Katherine, but instead Grace chose to remain half the room away with the physical presence of the desk between them.

Regardless of her professional demeanor, it would have been difficult not to notice Grace's strong disapproval of his dealings with Katherine. Although she hadn't mentioned that disapproval since the day he'd first introduced the marriage contract to her, her cold aloofness every time she was confronted with it left little to the imagination. Further, he was sure that she'd been avoiding him for the same reason. She'd gone so far as to actually typing his correspondence and reports in her own office, something she'd never done before. They'd barely spent fifteen minutes together at a time for days, and although he was afraid to admit it to himself, he missed her. This evening's dinner was the most time they'd spent in each other's company in a week, and he'd enjoyed it, even if in a room full of people.

With a heavy heart, he delineated the several items that Katherine had brought up and their accompanying terms. Grace didn't look at him once.

"I believe that's all she mentioned. I'd like those typed into the body of the contract by noon tomorrow so I can send it over for Katherine's approval. _Hopefully_ she'll agree this time."

"Yes, sir. Will there be anything else?"

He gazed at her for a moment, then looked away. "No, that will be all, Miss Farrell."

He picked up his forgotten cigar and took a long drag as Grace wordlessly tore her notes from the notepad, replaced the pad in the desk drawer, then stood to exit the library. As she crossed in front of him, she stopped and hesitantly turned.

"Mr. Warbucks, I'd like to thank you for what you said at dinner this evening."

He looked at her, mystified. "What did I say?"

"About supporting Annie no matter what she wants to be. She's been a bit insecure of herself lately and where she fits into everything, and I'm sure your comments made her feel a lot better."

Warbucks stared at her, astounded. "What do you mean she feels insecure?" He couldn't imagine Annie having anything but the strongest of confidence.

Grace ducked her head, unsure how he would take her next statement. "Annie realizes she has little experience in the standard behavior expected by her new position, and, no offense, sir, but Mrs. Allen's constant scolding has done little to boost her confidence."

"She told you that?"

"Yes, sir, she did."

Oliver slumped into the chair as he pondered this information. "Damn." He hadn't noticed anything amiss in Annie, but judging by her expression, Grace obviously had the inside track on this one.

"Perhaps you could ask Mrs. Allen to…."

"Back off a little?" he finished for her.

Grace almost smiled. "I don't mean to pry, but I thought I should bring it to your attention before Annie brings it to Mrs. Allen's in her unique way."

A vivid recollection of Penelope's missing tooth shot through Oliver's mind, and he involuntarily shuddered. "That would be unfortunate." He appraised her warmly. "Thank you for telling me, Miss Farrell."

"No need to thank me, sir. I'm merely protecting Annie's interests."

His brow furrowed at the comment, but he didn't have time to give it any thought as she again moved to leave the room. Eager to keep her in his presence, he blurted, "Earlier you said you were out all afternoon because you had some thinking to do."

Grace stopped at the door's threshold and turned back to him. "Yes, I did," she stated almost defiantly, certain she was about to get a reproof of her own.

Therefore she was surprised when he asked, "Did you work it out?"

"Work what out?"

"Whatever problem you were wrestling with?"

She drew in a short breath, momentarily paralyzed by the thought that he somehow knew her true feelings. Slowly it dawned on her that he was asking in a general way, and she felt able to breathe again. "No. No, I…I couldn't come to a decision. That's what brought me to my Grandmother Farrell; she often helps me work through things and gives me advice."

"By the look on your face, you didn't like the advice she gave you."

Grace scrutinized him sharply, wondering when he'd started reading her so well. "No," she replied, fidgeting with the notes in her hands, "I didn't."

Oliver nodded toward the empty chair beside him. "Want to talk about it?'

Her eyes grew wide at the invitation and she practically did a double take. What had gotten into him tonight? He'd welcomed her home, invited her to dine with the family, failed to dress her down for playing hooky all afternoon, and now he was tendering to be her sounding board?

He saw every one of those thoughts flash across her face and smiled. She'd make a lousy poker player. "Really Miss Farrell, I don't bite," he said, and again motioned to the chair.

She approached slowly, eyeing him warily, and sat primly on the edge of the chair.

She looked like she was about the jump out of her skin. His smile grew until he was chuckling. "And I thought I was the one who needed to relax."

She cleared her throat and forced herself to scoot further back into the cushions.

When it became apparent that was the best she was going to do, he again asked, "Would you like to tell me what's on your mind? I do actually deal with matters beyond mere financial concerns."

That got a true smile out of her, and it lit up her face like the sunrise. Affection spread through him until he had to suppress the urge to wrap his arms around her in a comforting hug.

"Thank you for the offer, sir, but I would rather not," she eventually answered. "I do value your advice, as I said the other day, even in matters beyond the financial," she teased lightly, "but I think I'll mull over this problem myself for a while longer."

Although somewhat disappointed that she didn't want to share her troubles with him, he nodded in acceptance. "It seems we're both reluctant to disclose our thoughts tonight." When she looked at him in confusion, he explained, "Like you, I chose not to provide any details to Katherine regarding the reasons behind starting my career at such an early age."

"Ah," Grace nodded in understanding, and then regarded him silently. Finally she pronounced, "You must have been very angry."

"With Katherine?"

"No," she smiled, "when you went off to sea."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, surprised.

"You were only a child, and yet you left everything you knew and loved for what could have been a truly horrible and dangerous life at sea. That had to be terrifying, but it sounds like you attacked that life with a vengeance. Something had to drive you to do that. Knowing you as I do, I'd guess it had to be a terrible anger or a profound disappointment."

Oliver sat completely still, gripping the cigar and barely breathing. He was staring at her so severely she was afraid she'd deeply offended him.

"How do you do that?" he rumbled in a low voice.

"What?" she asked hesitantly.

"I've never told anyone the reason I left home, except Annie, and even then not directly. Did she tell you?"

Grace quickly shook her head. "No, she hasn't said a word."

"Then how are you able to discern what I've kept private for thirty-five years?"

She studied him, trying to gauge his mood and possible reactions. Deciding honesty was the best approach, she replied, "Because I've spent the last five years attempting to predict what you're thinking."

His eyes went wide, then he threw his head back in deep laughter. It took several seconds before he was able to gasp, "To think, all my life I've worked to keep my thoughts and intentions hidden from business associates, when the person I really should have been stonewalling was my secretary!"

She smiled with him. "That _is_ funny, in a way. I never thought about it before, but a secretary could be your greatest asset or your greatest enemy, depending on her frame of mind."

Calming enough to look at her again, he ruminated, "That's not a comforting thought, Miss Farrell."

She shrugged. "It's a measured risk."

"Then I'd better keep you happy and in a good frame of mind."

"Hmm," she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Would now be a good time to ask for a raise?"

He broke out in renewed laughter. "That's seizing an opportunity! Once again your deviousness surprises the devil out of me. I believe I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you."

She smiled coyly. "Perhaps Mr. Edwards was right when he said I plan to buy Warbucks, International out from under you."

Without thought, he declared, "I can't think of anyone I'd rather see it go to."

His easy comment stunned her into speechlessness.

Realizing too late what he'd said, he swiftly added, with as much nonchalance as he could muster, "Unfortunately for you, Annie is the first in line."

Following his playful lead, she sat back in the chair and steepled her fingers. "I can wait."

Now it was his turn to be rendered speechless.

Turning to him, she gave him a slow smile, which dissolved into giggles. Soon he was chuckling with her. "I imagine buying Warbucks, International would require a few more resources than I currently possess," she joked. "Like about 999.75 million more!"

"Knowing that sets my mind at ease."

"Daddy Warbucks, Grace, I saved some brownies for you!"

They turned to see Annie enter the library carrying a plate of freshly frosted brownies, followed by Drake with a pot of fresh coffee.

Grace gave the stack of small cakes an appraisal. "Knowing what this sacrifice cost you, I give you my hearty thanks! And since I doubt I'm getting a raise, I better eat as many brownies as I can!"

Annie scrunched up her face. "Huh?"

"Never mind, Annie," Oliver remarked as he grabbed a brownie himself. "Chalk it up to seizing the day and your opportunities!" He toasted Grace with his brownie.

They spent the next half hour eating brownies and joking with Annie as she detailed the adventures she'd had with Don Budge that afternoon on the tennis court.

Finally Grace announced it was bedtime for those in the room under twelve. Yawning, Annie didn't argue, and they all rose to make their way upstairs.

At the doorway, Oliver arrested Grace's attention by lightly touching her arm. "By the way, it was both."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It was both," he repeated. "I was terribly angry, as well as profoundly disappointed."

She gazed deeply into his face. "Are you still?"

"Some days, yes." Without another word, he proceeded to follow his daughter up the stairs to ready her for bed.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

PAINFUL DECISIONS

The next day was spent in numerous meetings with Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Tipton regarding more wedding preparations. At a little over three weeks away, the ceremony was quickly approaching, and decorations and other supplies were already arriving at the mansion.

Thankfully Katherine had finally seen reason and moved both the marriage ceremony and the reception to the ball room. Although offering a challenge to the staff in switching from one to the other with 450 people in the room, it was endlessly preferable to the previous arrangement in the West Salon.

Currently both she and Mrs. Tipton were standing in the middle of the vast room, scrutinizing it intently with Stella, the decorator, trying to decide on which end they wanted the ceremony itself to take place. With several entrances and each vaulted window affording a beautiful view of the gardens below, their options were many.

Grace and Annie were leaning against a wall, out of the way, waiting. Mrs. Allen had announced that she wanted Miss Farrell in attendance to handle any questions Stella might have, and she needed Annie to stay close so she could be fitted for her flower girl dress, which was due to arrive any minute with the seamstress.

That was almost an hour ago, and Annie was beyond restless. "Grace, I'm bored."

Grace heaved a frustrated sigh. "So am I," she muttered under her breath. This was taking far longer than it should. And where was that seamstress? She looked to Annie in sympathy, thinking the child had waited patiently long enough.

"Annie, why don't you run down to the garden and help George plant the new flowers that arrived this morning. He said he could use some help with them."

"Really?" she looked at her friend in excitement. Then her face fell and she cast a glance at her future mother on the far side of the room. "But what about the dress fitting?"

Sporting a conspiratorial smile, Grace leaned down and whispered, "I'll come get you when the dress arrives." _If it ever does._

"Leapin' lizards!" With that, she shot out the door, tearing down the hallway. Grace heard a distant, "C'mon, Sandy, let's go outside!" and the dog's answering bark.

Chuckling, Grace began to scan through her notes from the earlier meetings, intermittently reviewing her conversation with Mr. Warbucks the previous evening.

He'd completely caught her off guard from the moment she walked into the house. She still didn't know what to think of his reaction when she entered the dining room. He'd looked positively relieved, which didn't make sense in the least. Grace had seen the glance Mrs. Edwards threw her brother's way, and knew she'd been thinking the same thing. And although fully expecting to hear a solid rebuke regarding her lengthy absence, he'd said nothing, instead turning his ire onto Mrs. Allen and in extension defending Grace's position.

The following conversation in the library truly baffled her, just as his behavior on the beach had. He'd never asked her a personal question in their entire acquaintance, and now they'd shared two very intimate conversations in a week! She'd enjoyed the attention immensely, but even more had loved to hear him laugh. His laughter had rung through the house more and more often since Annie's arrival, the child bringing out a playful nature in him that Grace never knew he had. He could be positively adorable when around Annie.

She was unconsciously displaying a soft smile when an exasperated voice broke through her reverie.

"Miss Farrell? Miss Farrell!"

With a start, Grace tore her mind away from her musings and back to the present to find Mrs. Allen glaring at her impatiently.

"I was beginning to think I would have to shake you to get your attention."

"My apologies, Mrs. Allen. I was…thinking."

"About something pleasant, from the smile on your face."

Blushing only slightly, Grace self-consciously cleared her throat and asked, "What can I help you with?"

"Mrs. Tipton just received word that the seamstress has arrived with Annie's dress, and is conducting her to the guest room set aside…. Wait, where's Annie?" Katherine did a quick scan of the ballroom only to discover the flower girl in question was nowhere to be seen.

"She's in the garden helping George plant some late season flowers. I'll tell her the seamstress is ready for her fitting." Grace made her way out the nearest door and was moving rapidly down the hall when Mrs. Allen caught up to her.

"_She's helping the gardener?_ Miss Farrell, I assumed you would have Annie ready so as not to keep the seamstress waiting. Her time is very valuable."

"I'm sure it is," Grace replied smoothly, not checking her stride, "and if the seamstress had been here on time, Annie would have met her at the door. However, expecting a child with Annie's energy to wait for an hour with nothing to do is inviting disaster. I sent her outside to burn off some of that energy so she wouldn't spend the entire fitting session endlessly fidgeting." Her tone suggested that she expected Mrs. Allen to at least have considered this."

"Very well," Katherine acquiesced with a frustrated sigh. "I don't suppose there's any harm done. But she needs to proceed to the fitting immediately."

Without reply, Grace led the way as she and Katherine exited the house and proceeded to the portion of the garden George had readied for the new plants. Rounding the final bend in the path, she called out, "Annie, the seamstress is here with your dress. Come on and…." She skidded to a halt and dodged as a clod of mud sailed past her to land with a slap on a nearby tree.

"Ha! You missed! That'll cost you." George suddenly sprang out from behind a hydrangea bush. Not noticing Grace and Mrs. Allen, he skirted the tree recently hit, aiming for a hedge row half concealing a head of wild red hair. "I know where you are! Give it up, you little demon!" He scooped up another handful of mud from the hole Sandy was gleefully providing, and pulled his arm back to chuck the glob of mud in the hair's direction when Annie obliged him by jumping into full view.

Unbeknownst to George, however, Annie had a massive weapon at her disposal in the shape of a mud ball the size of a grapefruit hidden just below the rim of the hedge.

"Never give up, never surrender!" she bellowed, and with both hands heaved the mud ball into the unsuspecting face of her enemy just as George released his own projectile.

Both missiles found their target, splattering the combatants with gooey, sticky mud.

"That's cheating!" George howled in indignation, spitting mud out of his mouth. "You had your turn and you missed!"

"I meant to miss. That was a decoy to bring you into the open, you cur. Now prepare for…."

George never heard what Annie had prepared for him as Katherine stepped forward, furious outrage rolling off her in waves. "Annie Warbucks! You will stop this appalling activity immediately! You're as filthy as a street urchin. You should be ashamed of yourself. And you!" She wheeled on George, whose face was just emerging from behind the gargantuan clod of mud that Annie had thrown at him. "What do you think you're doing, engaging in a mud fight like a vulgar laborer with the mistress of the house? You've likely ruined her clothes, to say nothing of making it questionable for her to attend the appointment I came to collect her for."

Wide eyes standing out starkly against the dripping mud, George stuttered, "I do apologize, ma'am. We were just…."

Katherine had no interest in hearing platitudes or excuses from George. "If it were up to me, I'd discharge you now! As it is, Mr. Warbucks will hear of your disgraceful behavior at the first opportunity. Now I suggest you clean up this mess and begin the work you were hired to do." She swung her attention back to Annie. "You, young lady, will march upstairs and clean yourself off as best as possible. Following your dress fitting, you will return to your room and not leave it for the rest of the day. I will give you a book to read on proper conduct for a girl of your age, and you will report on it to me tomorrow."

Annie stared at Katherine, stunned. "But we were only…."

"I don't want to hear it. Go!"

Annie stood stock still, her wide eyes staring in astonishment at Mrs. Allen.

"Go!" and this time Katherine pointed towards the house.

Annie moved slowly in the direction her future mother was pointing, but instead of dissolving into tears, as Grace expected, she lifted her head high and with a glare at Katherine that left no doubt as to her feelings, she silently left the garden.

Grace watched her friend retreat, her heart aching. That ache was quickly banished by a burning anger. Before she could even form an outlet for that anger, Katherine addressed her tersely.

"Miss Farrell, I require you to inform the seamstress of this unfortunate delay. I will join her as soon as I have spoken with Mr. Warbucks. And in the future, I hope you will show better judgment with that girl than you did today. Helping the gardener with his planting is an entirely unacceptable endeavor. She's far too familiar with this staff, something I intend to address in the coming weeks."

With a final nod to George to get moving, Katherine turned to proceed back to the house. She hadn't moved two feet when Miss Farrell firmly blocked her path.

"Mrs. Allen, 'that girl' has spent her entire life in conditions that, quite frankly, you couldn't possibly imagine. She's endured starvation, cruelty and disappointment at every turn. She wants nothing but acceptance and love, but since the day you met her, you have heaped on her one reprimand after another. She's an amazing child, but all you notice is what you perceive as her horrible faults. Does she do anything to suit you?"

Katherine lost her tense expression with a sigh. "Miss Farrell, I understand how you feel, and of course I want only the best for Annie. I'm not trying to be cruel, but she needs to know there are boundaries to what she is allowed to do."

"She's ten, Mrs. Allen!"

"Yes, and well on her way to adulthood in a society that will be unforgiving of any transgressions such as today's. I know this from experience, and I want to prepare her for that world." She looked appraisingly into Grace's face. "Miss Farrell, you and I have been at odds from the moment we announced the engagement." Her eyes went wide as comprehension dawned. "You don't think I'm well suited for Oliver, do you?" she concluded.

Grace took a tremulous breath, willing herself to be calm. "On the contrary, Mrs. Allen," she said tightly, "I think you're very well suited to Mr. Warbucks. It's Annie I don't think you're appropriate for."

Leaving Katherine to ponder her words, Grace turned on her heel and quickly retreated to Annie's room to help her friend in any way she could.

* * *

Grace's pronouncement was never more clear than the following morning.

Warbucks sat at his desk dictating in rapid fire to Miss Farrell, who was furiously trying to keep up.

"As much as I would like to accommodate your failing economy, I am no longer open to negotiation and my price stands firm. My fighter planes are the most advanced on the market. If you don't wish to pay what I'm asking, perhaps your enemies will!" He paused, pursing his lips in thought.

Grace looked up, supplying, "Cordially?"

"There's nothing cordial about this, Miss Farrell."

"Best wishes? Good luck?"

Oliver smiled. "Only if the ambassador agrees to my price." He ruminated another few seconds. "Use 'Trust my sincerity.'"

With a smile of her own, Grace recorded the closing on her pad, and moved to the typewriter.

Warbucks continued to scrutinize her from across the room. He was still perplexed over the confrontation that had occurred between Grace and Katherine the previous morning. Katherine had bent his ear for a good fifteen minutes over the difficulty, explaining several times why she thought children should never be involved in mud fights with the estate gardener. How it was all Grace's fault, as Katherine seemed to believe, he could never determine. His fiancée informed him of the punishment she'd laid out for Annie, which he immediately negated. Annie had spent enough of her life locked up for supposed crimes, and it wasn't going to happen in his house. Personally, he didn't see anything wrong with a rousing mud fight, and wished he could have participated instead of being stuck on the phone haggling over purchase prices with the Polish ambassador. At that point he'd told Katherine to return to the wedding details and leave Annie up to him this one time. With a promise that he'd give Annie the book on deportment that Katherine was sending over, she left in a huff. He then adjourned to Annie's room where he found her in the bathtub, both Grace and Mrs. Greer valiantly trying to clean the mud out of her tightly curled hair. Annie gave him her version of the story, ending with an exuberant, "I got him good, Daddy Warbucks! Didn't I, Grace?"

Flicking Annie's nose with shampoo suds, Grace chuckled, "Yes, you did. I imagine it will take George a week to clean the mud out of his ears."

Grace's mood lightened considerably when he told Annie her punishment was lifted, but he advised she probably shouldn't engage in any mud fights on days when her mother would be present.

"Can I do it if Penelope comes over?"

"NO!" both Grace and Oliver answered in unison. Mrs. Greer merely looked on in silent amusement.

A ringing phone interrupted his train of thought, and he grabbed it in irritation. "Warbucks here! Oh, Katherine, good morning." He paused, a scowl suddenly creasing his brow. "What do you mean the agreement isn't satisfactory? What's wrong with it?!"

From the typewriter, he heard Grace mutter, "You mean besides the fact that you need one?"

Oliver's scowl deepened and he sent her a glare. He was nearing the end of his patience with females. Katherine said something he missed. "What?" he said into the phone. "Yes, that's exactly what you agreed to. I had Miss Farrell note the changes only minutes after you left." He paused again. "Katherine, your memory is faulty, and I'm not arguing about this over the phone."

Grace covertly sent him a sidelong glance from her position at the typewriter. It sounded like another amendment to the pre-nuptial agreement would be taking place. Pretty soon they'd have to stop disagreeing about it and just get married!

She heard him slam the phone down and mutter angrily, "Women! She's harder to get along with than I am!" In a clipped tone, he ordered, "Come along, Miss Farrell, we're going to Katherine's house to hash this out once and for all, and I want you there to take notes to prove that I'm not changing her mind for her."

Grace immediately balked. "Oh, sir, I'd rather not." Her exposure to that awful agreement had always been after the fact; she'd never been present when they were arguing the points they wished to pursue, and she had no desire to be included now.

This was not the answer Warbucks was expecting or wanted. His eyes hardened and the scowl deepened. "That wasn't a request, Miss Farrell. Meet me in the car in five minutes!" With that he stalked out of the room.

Grace gritted her teeth and began gathering what she would need.

* * *

"Oliver, this is not what I agreed to the other night at all." Katherine handed him the most recent copy of their contract with several paragraphs circled in red. "As you can see, I've marked the points that are incorrect along with my objections."

Oliver perused the multi-page document. He glanced at Katherine over the top of the pages. "Can I assume that you agree to everything not marked in red?"

"Absolutely."

He nodded. "Make a note of that, Miss Farrell, so that there will be no doubt in the future." He sent Katherine an accusatory gaze.

Grace did as she was instructed, the frown on her face becoming deeper as the meeting went on.

She, Mr. Warbucks, Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Tipton sat at a circular table in Mrs. Allen's comfortably appointed library. Mrs. Tipton was there for the same purpose she was.

Upon arrival, Mr. Warbucks announced what they produced today was going to be the final version of the contract, come hell or high water. He claimed he'd spent more time on this pre-nuptial agreement than he had setting up his first company! This did not mean, however, that he would be a soft negotiator. He was still sore about Boeing, and even more so that Katherine refused to sell off her interests, not worried in the least that it would be difficult and embarrassing to explain to the larger shareholders of Warbucks, International that the owner's wife was supporting one of their top competitors.

Over the next hour, Mr. Warbucks and Mrs. Allen re-negotiated the four points she had taken issue with to the satisfaction of both. Grace recorded every word said, as did Mrs. Tipton. Soon she had several pages worth of shorthand, and was thankful when the fourth point was coming to a conclusion.

"There," Oliver leaned back, "now that that's settled…."

"Now that that's settled, there are one or two items we haven't brought up yet that I'd like to discuss," Katherine proclaimed.

This took him by surprise. "Such as?"

"First, I believe it would be prudent to banish Sandy to the garage until he's fully trained."

"Katherine…."

"Oliver, the dog went out of control at the mere mention of the word 'bath.'"

He glanced over at Miss Farrell, whose frown was so deeply etched he wondered if it would leave a permanent mark. "Actually, we determined that Sandy was reacting to the plunger Drake was carrying. It's Miss Farrell's opinion that someone abused him with one at some time and he was simply frightened." He glanced at Grace again, but she steadfastly kept her eyes on her tablet as she took notes. "However, I see your point, and you'll be happy to know that I've engaged a trainer to help Sandy adapt to life off the streets. He begins classes on Monday. In the meantime he will remain in the house, mainly because life would be miserable for the entire household if we tried to keep him apart from Annie."

Katherine considered his words. "The wedding is still three weeks away. That should be enough time for him to learn _some_ measure of restraint." With a nod she declared, "I accept your solution."

"Good."

Katherine continued, "The second point is a gross oversight on my part, actually, one that was superbly brought to my attention by yesterday's disruption in the garden."

"Go on."

"Oliver, Annie is far too familiar with your staff. She treats them as her equal and I've seen signs where they are beginning to view her in the same light."

Grace gripped her pencil tightly and her eyes slid involuntarily to Mr. Warbucks to gauge his reaction.

Oliver's face gave away nothing of his personal thoughts. He'd always considered his staff as people who he paid well to do things for him so he didn't have to. Beyond that he'd never given them a second thought. However, as Grace had said in the garden that fateful morning six weeks ago, the staff adored Annie, and he could see how his daughter would think of each one of them as part of her growing family. Friends and enemies alike, Annie made them quickly and firmly, and hung on to that notion through thick and thin. From her comments on the same subject in the past, he already knew where Katherine's disapproval stemmed from and where she was going. He doubted very much whether Annie would be susceptible to forming friendships based solely on one's social standing. She was as likely to befriend the president of the United States as the apple seller down the street. He also doubted that she'd take kindly to being told who was an appropriate acquaintance and who was not. Not only would she rebel on any practice in this sector, he didn't see how Katherine could possibly control that point. For Annie's sake, he stubbornly dug his heels dug in.

"And the problem with that would be…?"

"Oliver," Katherine said patiently, in the tone he was becoming familiar with that suggested she couldn't understand why she had to explain her point of view to him, "surely you can see the problems a close relationship with the staff could cause. Nothing good can come of it. They will become disrespectful, treat her poorly, even so far as to take advantage of her."

Oliver couldn't see anyone taking advantage of Annie without her letting them. However, he could see that she would allow some to do so because of friendship.

"How do you propose to address this crisis of bad judgment?" he asked with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"I believe Annie should be sent to a good school at the earliest opportunity."

Grace's head snapped up, and before she could stop herself, interjected, "Sent to a good…do you mean a _boarding school_?!"

Katherine turned to Miss Farrell as if suddenly remembering she was there. "Yes."

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm completely serious," she clarified evenly. Katherine observed Miss Farrell curiously. "Not only would a good school provide the education she desperately needs, but she would be instructed on the proper demeanor she will be expected to display in any situation she'll likely find herself in. There are several excellent schools on the east coast."

Grace whirled to Mr. Warbucks, her eyes wide with alarm. "Sir, sending Annie away to a boarding school would destroy her."

Katherine laughed. "Destroy her? Aren't you being a bit dramatic, Miss Farrell?" After a second of consideration, she realized, "I guess I really shouldn't expect you to understand; your upbringing didn't afford you the opportunity to see what a school of the type I'm suggesting can provide."

Greatly insulted, Grace said tightly, "I don't need the _opportunity_ of experiencing a boarding school to know what a detrimental effect one would have on Annie."

Oliver shot Grace a tense stare. "You've made your point, Miss Farrell. I think…."

Disregarding the warning in her boss' voice, she declared, "Mr. Warbucks, Annie's spent her entire life in an institution. To her a boarding school would simply be another orphanage. What she needs is a home she can rely on. Sending her away now would only reinforce the idea she's always had that nobody wants her!"

"Rubbish!" he replied, affronted. "Annie knows perfectly well how much I love her."

"She won't know anything of the kind if you send her away!"

"She would understand that I want her to get the best education possible."

"Sir, this isn't about education, it's about behavior, and I don't see what is so horrible about Annie that requires she be sent to a boarding school to correct. While you're at it, why don't you just banish her to the garage too!"

Before Oliver could fling the retort he had on the tip of his tongue, Katherine leaned forward, subliminally inserting herself between the combatants. "It's obvious that everyone feels strongly about this topic. Perhaps we should take a short break to compose ourselves."

Without waiting for agreement from Mr. Warbucks, Grace slammed her pad on the table and erupted out of her chair. Determinedly heading for a set of French doors that led to a long balcony, she flung them open and stormed to the end farthest from the library, out of sight of the room's occupants.

Warbucks watched her go, his anger still evident on his face.

Mrs. Tipton quietly muttered, "For a private secretary, she takes a great deal of latitude in expressing her opinions."

Katherine raised her eyebrows. "I agree."

Oliver shoved his chair away from the table and stood to pace around like a caged animal. "She's usually not like this. I don't know what's gotten into her lately." He took in the two women sitting serenely before him and once again felt compelled to defend Grace's actions. "Since she's the one who initially found Annie and rescued her from that orphanage…."

"'Rescued' is a bit strong, Oliver," Katherine interrupted.

"No, it's not," he fired back. "You didn't see it, Katherine. It was little more than a sweatshop. The children wore rags and were worked like dogs. They had just enough food to survive on while their caretaker stole their profits and set up a still in her bathroom!" He continued pacing, hands on his hips. "Miss Farrell understandably feels…proprietary when it comes to Annie. They're very close."

"That's no excuse for her impertinent behavior. If she was in my employ, she'd be dismissed immediately." She sent him a meaningful look.

Oliver stopped his pacing and glared at his fiancée. "I'm not firing her, Katherine," he retorted sharply. "She may be out of line, but she's right. I know I asked you to take charge of Annie's instruction, but I'm going to step in on this one; a boarding school would not be in Annie's best interest right now. Let's draw out a plan for the future, and then I'll speak with Miss Farrell." He regained his seat.

* * *

Ten minutes later Oliver found Grace leaning against the balcony's stone railing, frowning heavily at the small garden stretched out before her.

She noticed his approach and straightened, bracing for the rebuke he'd surely deliver. After her unseemly outburst and insulting remarks, she'd be lucky if he didn't fire her.

Surprisingly he didn't speak right away, but spread his hands on the railing and studied the well-groomed neatness of the garden. He could see Katherine's influence on the design, and imagined her gardener wouldn't have the time or the nerve to engage in a mud fight with a ten year old! He smiled grimly, then turned to Grace.

"You'll be pleased to know that Annie will not be going away to school," he announced. "Katherine agrees that, given Annie's situation, doing so would be more detrimental than positive, and has decided that she will attend a local private school. However when Annie turns thirteen, she'll be given the option of choosing for herself what she would like to do. Does that satisfy you?"

As Grace heard this proclamation, a wave of relief coursed through her. Gripping the railing to keep herself steady, she sent him a look of deep gratitude. "Thank you, sir."

He nodded in acceptance. "I understand that you're protective of Annie, that you want only the best for her, and I appreciate your sentiments. If you feel able, we'll return to the table and finish the meeting, where I expect you to conduct yourself in the professional manner I've become accustomed from you. I will not tolerate disrespect, from you or anyone. Am I clear?"

Grace gave a nod of her own. "Of course, sir." Duly chastised, she silently followed him back into the house.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

FOR THE BEST

For the second time that day, Grace stood on a balcony, staring unseeing at a garden, blind to the well-ordered beauty spread out before her.

She was blissfully alone, the look on her face upon her return from Mrs. Allen's conveying to the office staff in no uncertain terms to let her be. As Mr. Warbucks had a lunch meeting he had to hurry off to, Grace had been delivered to the mansion to continue her work. She now stood on the office balcony, contemplating the past few hours.

She still couldn't imagine why he hadn't fired her for losing her temper and openly arguing not only with Mrs. Allen, but with him. She'd been so dismayed at the suggestion of sending Annie off to school that it never crossed her mind that it wasn't her place to speak. Propriety dictated that she should have conferred with Mr. Warbucks in private and left the matter up to him. Once again she reminded herself that caring for Annie was not her responsibility or privilege.

She pinched the bridge of her nose to hold back the despair that washed through her. Two days ago she had told her grandmother she didn't know if she could remain at the mansion after Mr. Warbucks' marriage. Now it was obvious that she couldn't. She and Mrs. Allen were so at odds over what was best for Annie that it was only a matter of time before Grace made one argument too many, and she could either choose the time to move on or have it chosen for her. Being allowed to maintain a relationship with Annie was imperative, and for that she had to be on good terms with Annie's parents. At this point the only way to ensure a good relationship was to quit before she was fired.

Her mind made up, she returned to the empty office, thumbing through her contact cards until she found the one she was looking for. With a firm hand, she dialed the number.

Into the phone she said, "Hello, this is Grace Farrell, private secretary to Oliver Warbucks. May I speak with Mr. Rouner if he's available?" The woman on the other end had her hold for a few seconds. She soon heard the deep male voice of C. V. Rouner giving a boisterous salutation.

Grace smiled to make her own voice sound lighter than she felt. "Mr. Rouner, good morning. Yes, this is Grace Farrell. I'm not calling on behalf of Mr. Warbucks. A few years ago you made me an offer of employment. I was wondering if that offer is still open, and if so, might I meet with you for an interview?"

Rouner's booming affirmative would rival Mr. Warbucks' on any given day.

"Yes, actually, now would be an excellent time. I can be there in thirty minutes."

* * *

C. V. Rouner appreciatively eyed the slim brunette sitting primly before him. The 34 year old banker and financial investor had noticed Oliver Warbucks' secretary years before during an extended conference she'd attended with the billionaire, and had tried ever since to get Warbucks' secretary to notice _him_. She'd proven to be a cold one, however, and he'd been unsuccessful in his bid beyond the professional. Now it appeared that perhaps his luck had changed, for here she was, out of the blue, requesting an interview. According to her resume her skills were exceptional, and she must be very patient and extremely circumspect; she never would have lasted with Warbucks as long as she had otherwise. But on that point he was curious.

"I was most serious when I extended that offer two years ago, Miss Farrell, and I'm still just as serious, but I have to ask, why are you here now?"

Grace had been expecting this question, and she had a ready answer. "I've been with Mr. Warbucks for five years, Mr. Rouner. I've greatly enjoyed working with him, but I feel it's time to move on to new experiences and people. Your past proposal was very intriguing and I find I'd be interested in exploring it further."

His brows arched involuntarily at her words. He couldn't be sure if she'd intentionally made a double entendre or not. Her vibrant blue eyes stared at him steadily, giving nothing away. Grace Farrell was a cool piece of work, he had to give her that. Her reserve made her all the more attractive and the possibilities all the more enticing. Getting to know her would be exhilarating. In addition to any personal fun he might have, he'd also gain a first class secretary.

"What type of salary would you expect?"

Grace produced a beguiling smile. "I would require to make at least what Mr. Warbucks is paying me."

"Which is?"

"$5750." That wasn't completely true. Actually she was paid $5500, plus room and board, an extremely good wage, especially for the current economy, but Mr. Rouner didn't need to know that.

"Really?" He obviously wasn't expecting that much. "That seems a bit high for a secretary."

"Mr. Warbucks pays his employees what he considers them to be worth, Mr. Rouner," she assured him meaningfully.

He did a double she mean that she and Warbucks were more than professionals? _Warbucks?_ he thought in surprise. _That scion of pure business?_ Surely he must be misreading her. He couldn't imagine Oliver Warbucks expending his energy on anything that wasn't profit driven, but her tone, in connection with her words, made him doubt his beliefs. After all, even Warbucks had to have _some _weakness. And what a weakness! C. V.'s gaze travelled from the tip of Grace's shoes to the top of her perfectly rolled hair. This woman was the most fascinating creature he'd come across in years. Every comment she made could have a double meaning. Or not. She'd kept him completely off-balance since she'd entered the room, staying one step ahead of him throughout their entire conversation. No woman had ever accomplished that.

Possibilities.

He returned her smile. "Then $5750 it is."

"Very good. When would you like me to start?"

"I feel there's a need for you to begin working with me as soon as possible," he said smoothly. "Does Monday suit you?"

_Monday?!_ she thought in shock. That was only five days away; she wouldn't have much time to make living arrangements away from the mansion. However, she was afraid a longer delay might give Rouner time to change his mind, and she couldn't let this opportunity slip away. With a swift nod, she agreed. "Monday will be fine."

Rouner's smile grew. "Excellent!" He rose and reached across the desk to shake her hand, keeping it in his a little longer than necessary. "Until Monday morning then. Mrs. Marsden will see you out."

Grace resisted the urge to wipe the hand he'd just held against her skirt. Grabbing her briefcase, she exited the plush office to the outer waiting area where Rouner's established receptionist conducted her to the elevator.

As Mrs. Marsden watched the younger woman disappear behind the sliding doors, she said softly to the empty room, "At least this one's actually qualified to be a secretary."

* * *

Grace emitted a heavy sigh as she made her way across the mansion's cool entry hall. Slowing, she swept her gaze around the area, noting the many familiar objects, then looked up to take in the beautiful stained glass skylight. The noon sun shone through with a brilliance, casting a bright yellow glow over everything, and she was instantly reminded of Annie's first day, when the orphan was awed into silence by its grandeur. Grace was besieged by a surge of sadness, and dropped into a cushioned chair, fighting back tears.

_This is for the best_, she reminded herself, but couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had plagued her since leaving Mr. Rouner's presence.

Although allowing her to achieve her immediate goal of attaining gainful employment so she could remove herself from the worsening situation at the mansion, the interview with Mr. Rouner left her full of anxiety. She didn't like the way he'd looked at her at all, and knew she'd have to set boundaries with her new boss immediately to keep their relationship professional. Since Mr. Rouner had practically devoured her with his eyes, she wasn't sure she'd be successful. It wasn't a situation she was used to being in, personally and certainly not professionally. Not only was Mr. Warbucks completely professional, but beyond addressing her as 'miss,' she doubted he even noticed she was female. _I imagine to him I'm just an efficient piece of office equipment,_ she groused_._ A tear rolled over the brim of her eye and down her cheek. Upon reflection, she decided that she preferred to be viewed as office equipment rather than an object of desire by someone like Rouner. She sighed again, and another tear tracked behind the first. This was likely going to be a temporary position. How temporary would depend on Mr. Rouner, and how much of a gentleman he was.

"Grace! I wondered where you were. I've been lookin' all over for you." Annie skipped over, having just been shooed out of the kitchen by Mrs. Pugh so the cook could clean up from lunch. "It's so nice outside; would you like to go ridin' with me? I could change in a jiff and…." Her running commentary came to an abrupt halt as she noticed the tears on her friend's face. "Are you cryin'? Grace, what's wrong?"

Grace swiftly wiped away her tears and forced a smile on her lips. "Annie! I didn't hear you come in. I was…I was just looking around, saying good-bye, I guess."

Annie's face portrayed her confusion at this comment. "Sayin' good-bye? What for? Are you goin' somewhere?"

Although not intending to announce her plans so soon, this appeared to be as good a time as any, and Annie had to be told. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath.

"Annie, now that your father's getting married and you're going to have a mother, I've decided that it would be a good idea if I found someplace else to work."

"Someplace else to work? You mean you wouldn't be Daddy Warbucks' secretary anymore?"

"That's right." Grace nodded. "I have a new job, working with a man named C. V. Rouner. He's a banker, and his office is high up in a tall building. There's so many windows you can see half of New York from his office."

Annie still didn't understand. "But why are you sayin' good-bye? You'll still live here won't you?"

Grace smiled at the girl's naiveté. "Annie, if I'm not working for your father, I can't live here anymore. This is his house, not mine."

Comprehension dawned on Annie's face. "You're movin'? Away?" she wailed.

Grace nodded, trying to look enthusiastic. "Yes. I expect I'll move somewhere downtown, close to my new job, and I hope you'll come and visit me."

At this, Annie flung her arms around Grace's neck. "Oh, Grace, I don't wantcha to leave. I wantcha to stay here with us!"

Wrapping her arms tightly around the girl's waist, Grace tried to swallow through the lump in her throat. "But you'll visit me, and maybe you can stay all night, and even invite your friends from the orphanage! We can paint our nails and go to the movies and eat popcorn until we're sick."

"But I'll miss you!" Annie choked out.

"And I'll miss you." Grace pulled back and looked her in the eye. "But remember, whether we're together or apart, I will always be your friend." She held out a crooked pinky, which Annie wrapped around her own. Grace smiled. "Now, let's wipe away our tears. This is a new adventure!" she said, as much for her benefit as for Annie's. "I have to leave on Saturday, and there's a lot to do in the meantime. Your father will be home soon and I have some work to do for him before he gets back. I'd best get upstairs. What do you say we go riding after dinner?"

Annie wiped away the last of her tears and nodded. At that point Sandy came trotting up from finishing his lunch. Always sensitive to his mistress' moods, he licked Annie's salty tear tracks in friendly sympathy. Grace laughed, ruffling his fur. "Sandy, I expect you to take care of Annie after I'm gone. Okay?" He slobbered his tongue along Grace's cheek in answer, which caused both girls to laugh. "I'll see you two at dinner." With that, Grace rose and quickly escaped upstairs to the office before she lost her nerve and changed her mind about the whole thing. _This is for the best_.

* * *

By the time Warbucks walked through the front door shortly after the lunch hour, it was with no little relief. It had been a difficult day, and he knew there was still a mountain of correspondence piled on his desk waiting for his attention.

"Welcome home, sir."

Oliver gave a heartfelt sigh as Drake helped him remove his jacket. "It's hot enough to detonate a Mill Bomb out there." He went so far as to undo his tie and open the first two buttons of his shirt. "I feel better already."

"Shall I prepare a drink for you, sir?" Drake paused before heading upstairs to deliver Warbucks' jacket to his rooms.

"No, just some water in my office. But first, I want to see Annie. Where is she?" Some time spent with Annie was just what he needed to unwind from the days' meetings.

"She and _that dog_," Drake sniffed, "are on the veranda swing."

Oliver smiled. "Still at war with Sandy, are you?" He shook his head in mock concern. "It's a losing battle, Drake. You may as well concede."

Drake actually drew himself stiffer than usual. "I will never 'concede' to that _mongrel_!" With that, the butler swept up the stairs, leaving Oliver chuckling behind him.

Still shaking his head, Warbucks strode through the hall and out the side doors, spotting Annie and Sandy on the swing at the far end of the veranda, swaying in the warm breeze. He bounded down the steps to their level, smiling at the companionship of the two, wondering how she managed to convince Sandy to climb onto the swing in the first place.

"That looks like a cool spot. May I join you?"

Annie looked up at her father, her eyes full of sadness. "Hi, Daddy Warbucks," she said disconsolately.

Oliver stopped short. _Now what?_ He surveyed his daughter, her misery evident in her drooped shoulders and downturned mouth. _ Every female I know is having a fit today_. Keeping his voice even, he stated, "You look like you've lost your best friend."

"I am." Annie eyed Sandy, running a hand over his furry head. "Well, my other best friend, besides you and Sandy."

Oliver cocked his head to the side in puzzlement, wondering who she could mean. "I'm not sure I follow you. Did one of your orphan friends find a new home?"

"No, not an orphan," she shook her head sadly.

"Well, Sandy hasn't been banished." _Or not yet_, he thought, his mind hearkening back to the challenging discussion that morning with Katherine. When Annie didn't elaborate, he prodded, "What friend are you losing?"

"Miss Farrell, of course."

Even more confused, Oliver's brows furrowed low over his nose. "What do you mean? What does Miss Farrell have to do with why you're sad?"

"Because she's leaving!" Annie exclaimed, upset that her father seemed so unaffected by this horrible development.

Oliver drew back in surprise. "Leaving? Who gave you that idea?"

"She did!" Tears were beginning to gather behind her eyes.

Astounded, he asked, "Why is she leaving?"

"Because of her new job," she wailed. "You know that!"

"New job?!_ What new job?_ I don't…." Oliver stopped as a tiny bubble of fear worked its way around his heart, causing it to skip a beat. He checked the sensation as he leaned over the ten year old, arresting the movement of the swing. "What exactly did Miss Farrell say?"

Sniffling, one hand still buried in Sandy's neck, Annie imparted angrily, "She got a different job, and she said she couldn't live here if she wasn't your secretary anymore, so she's leaving on Saturday, and you don't care!"

For the first time in his life, Oliver Warbucks felt all the blood drain from his face. A roaring commenced in his ears and it seemed as if the ground buckled beneath his feet. Suddenly dizzy, he grabbed the arm of a nearby lawn chair for support.

Noticing his strange expression, Annie's resentment started to fade. Reaching out a hand to steady her father, she asked, "Didn't she tell you?"

His legs shaking so they could no longer hold him upright, Oliver fell more than sat on the chair, his breath coming in short gasps. Dazed, he could only mutter, "No," while shaking his head back and forth.

Never having seen the commanding billionaire so rattled, Annie looked at him with worry. "Daddy Warbucks, are you all right?"

When he didn't answer right away, Annie slid off the swing to stand in front of him, grabbing his hand. "Daddy?"

Attempting to regain his composure, Oliver drew in long, deep breaths, and the paralysis that had settled over his mind dissipated a bit. His senses slowly returning to normal, he felt Annie squeeze his hand. After a few more deep breaths, he was again aware of his surroundings, including the deep concern of his daughter.

"I'll be fine, Annie. Truly," he emphasized as her brow puckered in disbelief. "I was just…stunned…by your news."

Annie thought he still looked stunned. "Do you want me to go get someone, Drake or Mrs. Greer?"

"No," he smiled weakly, "thank you, Annie, but that won't be necessary." Feeling better by the second, he queried, "She told you she found a new job?" Annie nodded in confirmation. "And she's leaving on Saturday?" Annie nodded again. He could hardly process the information, let alone understand its implications.

Annie gave Warbucks a hard stare. "Do you really not care if Miss Farrell leaves?"

His eyes darted to his daughter. He took in her belligerent stance, and got the distinct impression that if he answered in the negative he'd find himself on the receiving end of her infamous right hook. Just to be safe, he grabbed both of her hands and replied gravely, "On the contrary, Annie, I care very much."

Annie smiled in relief. "I thought you would. Do you think you can change her mind and get her to stay? It just wouldn't seem like home without Miss Farrell here."

Oliver agreed whole heartedly, and was suddenly struck by the similarity of Annie's request to Grace's just six weeks earlier regarding keeping the young orphan. He returned her smile, giving her hand an answering squeeze. "I'll talk to her, see what I can do."

Annie threw her arms around her father. "Thank you, Daddy Warbucks! I know you'll change her mind!"

Oliver was heartened by Annie's faith in his persuasive abilities. However, he realized if Annie couldn't keep Grace at the mansion, he doubted he could, but promised, "I'll certainly do the best I can." He gave her another hug and let her go. "Do you know where Miss Farrell is now?

"She said she had to get back to work, so I think she's upstairs."

He smiled one more time for encouragement, then left Annie and Sandy to make his way to the office.

Still feeling a little light-headed, Oliver walked slowly, pondering the ramifications of Annie's announcement.

This outcome was exactly what he was trying to avoid with his proposal to Katherine. It had never dawned on him that Grace would have a reason to leave beyond the one he'd envisioned that morning at the Azoria. In hindsight, he should have realized this eventuality the first week following his engagement, especially as her poor opinion of his actions became increasingly apparent. Grace had progressively become more outspoken and confrontational, obviously upset at the turn of events. She hadn't been herself in his presence in over a week, not since the outing to Coney Island. There she had been effervescent and happy, clearly enjoying the day and the company. After that she began to take him, and especially Katherine head-on, arguing with his fiancée over nearly everything; protecting Annie's interests, as she'd said. It never occurred to him to ask Grace just from what, or whom, she thought Annie needed to be protected. The morning's meeting over the marriage contract left little doubt about that. Now Grace had once again taken things into her own hands.

He paused on the stairway, one hand braced on the marble railing, to consider the gaping hole in his life that would be caused by Grace's departure. What on earth was he going to do? Female emotional distress wasn't something he had a lot of experience dealing with. Despite the fact that he'd been shoved into the role of referee for Katherine and Grace's battles the past two weeks, he was on very shaky ground for the upcoming conversation. It didn't help that he was more than a little irritated at being forced into this intolerable situation in the first place. He just wasn't sure who he was more irritated with, Grace, Katherine or himself. Oliver scowled heavily as he continued up the stairs, rounding the balustrade into the hallway. How he was going to convince Grace to stay given the circumstances was beyond him.

* * *

Grace had spent the last half hour working on her notes from the infuriating meeting with Mrs. Allen. The activity served only to make her angry all over again, and reinforced the feeling that she'd made the right decision to leave. She sat back in her chair and stared out the window, sighing sadly. Knowing it was the right thing to do didn't make her any happier about it. Following another deep sigh, she picked up her pencil to make a few more corrections, intending to present them to Mr. Warbucks as soon as he returned home.

She'd managed to jot down only a few words when a deep male voice inquired, "Would you mind telling me just what you think you're doing?"

Startled, Grace jumped in her chair, dropping her pencil on the desk. "Mr. Warbucks! I didn't know you were home."

He proceeded no further than the doorway, his face unreadable. "Well?" he asked quietly.

Grace looked at him in puzzlement. "I'm just working up my notes from this morning's meeting so you can approve them before they're typed for Mr. Ellison. Was there something you wanted me to add?"

"That's not what I mean." Warbucks took a few steps into the room, regarding her with an odd look on his face. "Annie told me an interesting rumor a few minutes ago. She seems to think that you have acquired a position elsewhere and are leaving. As I hadn't heard a thing about it from anyone, let alone you, I decided she must be mistaken. Would you care to explain how she got that idea?"

She looked at him abashed. "I'm sorry you had to hear it from Annie."

"So it is true?" At her nod, his heart started beating faster. Upon entering the room, his irritation had been quickly morphing into anger, but her confirmation once again brought his fear to the forefront. He turned toward the desk, ostensibly to peruse the correspondence waiting there for his attention, but in reality in order to clamp down on his suddenly roiling emotions before they became noticeable. Gathering a few of the letters to cursorily glance through them, his voice held a bit of an edge as he asked, "Were you planning to tell me before you left or just let me figure it out when you didn't show up Monday morning?"

Grace kept her voice even as she placated, "I only just found out myself. I intended to inform you the moment you got home. I never dreamed you would speak to Annie first."

"I see." He observed her from his position near the desk, his expression still neutral. "Can you tell me why you have the sudden urge to seek other employment?"

Averting her gaze, she gave an elegant shrug of her shoulders. "I merely feel it's time I moved on. With all the changes that will be taking place within the house soon, it makes sense to take the opportunity of making a change myself."

He nodded as if accepting her weak excuse, ambling around the near end of his desk. Clasping his hands behind his back, he slowly turned and gave her a hard stare. "Hogwash."

Grace's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Miss Farrell, not once in our association have you ever taken me for a fool. I'm disappointed that you're doing so now."

Grace sat stunned, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Mr. Warbucks, I assure you…."

"You plan to walk away from the five years of trust we've built, abandon Annie and leave me with a half-planned wedding to deal with, simply because of some minor changes?"

She stood, astonished at his accusations. "I'm not abandoning Annie!" _Although that's certainly how it feels_. Lowering her voice, she continued, "And they are hardly 'minor' changes. Annie will soon have a full-time mother with whom it is painfully clear I would do nothing but get in the way, and I am completely unnecessary as far as this wedding goes. The ever-competent Mrs. Tipton will handle the wedding preparations just fine. I imagine you'll have to do nothing but show up on time!" With that she rapidly moved past him, heading out the door.

Her fast departure took him by surprise. "Wait…where are you going?"

"I'm getting the mail!" Grace shot over her shoulder, suddenly furious again at herself, him, the entire situation.

He followed her into the hall. "We aren't finished," he called, moving after her.

She didn't slow down as he pulled alongside. "I've made up my mind. There's really nothing more to say."

"I disagree," he ground out, and, grabbing her arm, hauled her into an adjacent sitting room. He shut the door and wheeled on her barely before she could recover her senses.

"You've made up your mind, just like that?" He started pacing agitatedly before her. "You're leaving your job, the staff, and Annie…." he turned on her, pointing his finger accusingly. "The day you convinced me to adopt Annie you promised you'd take care of her. What of that?"

Rubbing her arm where he'd grabbed her, she countered, "You don't need me to take care of Annie. Mrs. Allen…."

"Katherine isn't going to be the type of mother Annie needs, Grace. You know that as well as I do!"

Grace drew back in shock. "Then why are you…?"

"And just where is this fabulous new position you can't wait to leave for?" he harshly interrupted.

Attempting to keep her anger in check, she took a calming breath, announcing, "I'm to be personal secretary to C. V. Rouner."

Oliver's expression gave little doubt to the shock he felt. "_Rouner?!_ Grace, are you out of your mind?!"

"Of course I'm not." Annoyed, she explained, "Several years ago he made me an offer and I simply asked if that offer was still on the table."

"Oh, it's on the table alright, and that's where he wants you; on the table, or under it, whichever is more convenient."

"What?!"

Warbucks started pacing again, punctuating his sentences with wild hand gestures. "Grace, I know Rouner. He's a philandering playboy. He's not interested in your secretarial skills. The only thing he's interested in is getting you to let your hair down, among other things!"

At that Grace gave her considerable Irish temper free reign. "_I beg your pardon!_ You well know I'm not that kind of a secretary!" she finished, infuriated by his low insinuation and more than a little alarmed that he'd come to the same conclusion regarding Mr. Rouner as she had.

Her anger didn't deter Warbucks in the least. "I doubt Rouner will take that into account. If anything he'll see your upstanding moral character as nothing but a challenge leading to a more satisfying conquest." He began circling her like a vulture, his eyes boring into her. "He'll flatter you, tease you, shower you with gifts. In short he'll do everything in his power to ruin you willingly, and when you refuse, he'll do it against your will. Or maybe you'll welcome his attentions."

Forced to turn to keep him in sight, Grace hissed, "I would never do anything like that! How dare you even suggest it!"

"Women far more experienced than you have fallen victim to Rouner's charms. I give you two weeks before you either quit or surrender to his advances just to keep your job. Rouner, of all people!" he continued with disgust. "You're not nearly as good a judge of character as I thought you were."

"Obviously I'm not," she proclaimed scathingly. "Despite five years working closely together, I certainly had you pegged wrong."

Once again she brought him up short. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"This sham of a marriage with Mrs. Allen. Do you honestly think Annie will benefit from parents who share nothing but a cold love of financial success?"

Oliver's mouth dropped open in disbelief. It didn't even occur to him that no one had spoken that harshly to him in years. He could only refute her claim. "I have a great deal of esteem and admiration for Katherine."

Grace threw her hands in the air. "Esteem and admiration," she scoffed, "that ought to get you through the honeymoon!" She started pacing herself, so she didn't see Warbucks' own face turn red with anger.

"That's enough!" he barked.

"Enough?" She turned on him, her eyes blazing. "I'm just getting started! Tell me, Oliver, when you proposed, did the two of you spit into your palms before you shook on it?"

Completely incensed, he seethed, "That was entirely uncalled for."

Ignoring him, she plowed on. "You're treating this marriage like it's just another business deal! Perhaps I'm idealistic, but people planning to marry are supposed to have their heads in the clouds and be bursting with happiness, not hammering out pre-nuptial agreements over who gets what percentage of which business! Is that the example you want to give Annie of what a family is like?"

"How I choose to marry is none of your concern."

"_Oliver, what is wrong with you?_" she entreated. "This is your chance to show that little girl what love and devotion are for the first time in her life, and you're squandering it for financial gain! I don't understand how anyone could settle for that. I believed better of you!"

Her fierce accusation hit a deep chord, one that he'd been harboring himself the past few weeks, and it rendered him speechless.

Taking his silence for confirmation, Grace shook her head in defeat. "Nothing positive can be gained by my continued presence here. I'll be leaving on Saturday. In the meantime, I have work to do, so you'll have to excuse me." She began to move past him to the door.

Oliver finally found his voice. "The devil I will," and his hand shot out, catching her by the elbow, using her momentum to swing her around.

He'd been denying his feelings for this woman for weeks, and he'd reached the end of his restraint. Before Grace could react, he cupped her cheeks in his hands, leaned down, and with a gentleness that bellied his obvious agitation, brushed his lips across hers.

The kiss was brief; barely more than a whisper. He pulled back to find her eyes twice their usual size, their blueness almost overwhelming. Visibly more shocked than she'd ever been in her life, Grace could only stand there, motionless. Oliver took the opportunity to softly kiss her again. Surprised, he felt her hesitantly kiss him back.

When the kiss ended a mere second later, he didn't pull away, but looked imploringly into her eyes. "Don't go," he beseeched quietly. Then he saw a change in those eyes; anger and disappointment began to dissolve, to be replaced by something he didn't dare put a name to. When Grace brokenly whispered his name and drew him to her, he felt the last of his thin resistance crumble.

All hesitation left behind, Grace pressed her lips against his, clutching him with arms that were unexpectedly strong. He threaded the fingers of one hand into her hair, deepening the kiss until Grace's head was practically spinning. Desire flooded her body, and she instinctively arched into him, causing sensations that actually made her groan.

Oliver's lips left hers and flowed along her jawline, planting kisses down her neck until he hit a sensitive spot just under her ear. Her sharp intake of breath caused him to pause and smile against her skin, and he skimmed his lips over the area again, feeling her shudder as he worked his way up her arched throat to her chin. He paused at her lips, again looking into her heavily lidded eyes. He saw her desire and need, and the strength of it hit him so hard he couldn't breathe. Any aspiration of checking his own longing fled and in an instant he was making love to her. He moaned her name and brought his lips down on hers once more, sensuously sliding one hand over her hip to pull her against him when she suddenly jerked back, shoving him hard.

The force of the action caused Grace to stumble, hitting an end table and nearly toppling it over. Her body trembling from her recent desire, she looked at him in abject horror. "What are we doing?!"

Reeling from the sudden loss of the heated contact, he didn't hide his annoyance. "I _was _ kissing you!"

His comment did nothing to mollify her distress. "You can't kiss me!" she declared. "You're engaged!" as though this should be obvious to him. Then her face crumpled, her eyes filling with tears. "_Why are you engaged?" _ She gasped a soul-wrenching sob. "And to…to… Katherine Allen?!"

She abruptly turned away, and Oliver saw her shoulders heave as weeks of stress and unhappiness clamored for release. She pressed a hand to her mouth, attempting to curb her emotions as she moved further away, coming to a halt at the far end of the room. Unable to hold back the tide, she braced herself against a chair, shaking with sobs.

He took one, then two steps toward her, his hand rising, seemingly trying to comfort her from a distance, only to drop uselessly to his side. "I asked Katherine because I didn't think you would say yes."

It took several seconds for his proclamation to sink in. It took several more seconds before she trusted her voice enough to utter in disbelief, "What?"

"I didn't think you would accept me," he repeated softly.

Now she was facing him, tears and confusion marring her pretty face. "Why?"

He gave a slight smile. "You better than anyone know of my numerous faults, Grace, any one of them providing reason enough for you to refuse me." Voicing the argument he'd had with himself all those weeks ago, he enumerated, "I'm too old for you, our temperaments are completely different, I'm too loud, too brash, too opposite of your natural warmth." He looked at her lovingly, the soft smile again curving his lips. "You're an incredible woman, Grace, in so many ways. I don't think you have any idea. You could have your pick of many men; men far younger and better than I." He stared down at the floor again, ashamed at his next comment. "The hard truth is that I'm a coward. I was afraid you'd say no, and then you would leave. I couldn't face that eventuality." He glanced at her then with a deprecatory grimace. "On the other hand, a proposal to Katherine presented little, if any, emotional risk on my part. I knew she would be receptive to the idea, and a merger of our fortunes would be a considerable temptation, one that she likely wouldn't reject. There was the added benefit that I actually do enjoy her company; I find her mentally stimulating and very savvy. Not only does she accept how intractable I can be, but she has experience raising children. She fulfilled all my criteria."

He turned to gaze out the window, reflecting on the day he made that decision, and sighed. "I know my actions the past few weeks have disappointed you terribly. That's a regret I'll always carry."

Oliver looked at her then. She still hadn't moved from her place by the chair. Despite the distance between them, he could see that her eyes were red from her recent tears, and he felt his heart squeeze. He shook his head, completely disgusted with himself. "I apologize for my recent behavior, and you have my word that I won't accost you again. I hardly blame you for…."

"I love you," Grace said quietly.

Oliver stopped mid-sentence and blinked, not trusting that he'd heard her correctly. "Grace," he began hesitantly, "I…."

"I love you," she repeated, more forcefully. At his apparent disbelief, she choked, "I have for years."

Still not willing to accept her declaration, he asked in wonderment, "Grace, how can you…."

"You're wrong, about everything." She took a few halting steps in his direction. "You're not too old, or loud, and as you've discovered since Annie's arrival, my temper can match yours any day." Grace gave him a tremulous smile. "Oliver Warbucks, you're the finest man I've ever known." He still looked unconvinced. She moved to stand directly in front of him, begging him with her eyes to listen. "You let people believe there's nothing more to you than a hard-hearted capitalist who's willing to do whatever it takes to turn a profit, but I've seen the other side of you, often; your generous nature, your deep feeling, your desire to help others and see them succeed, even if that success runs counterproductive to your own. When Annie told you she couldn't be yours because she already had parents, you didn't send her back to Miss Hannigan. You promised that little girl you'd help find them, and you went to the ends of the earth to do that. I can't name anyone else who would go to those efforts for a penniless little orphan they'd barely known a week." Pressing a palm against his cheek, she finished ardently, "I love everything about you."

Stunned, Oliver could only ask, "Do you truly mean that?"

More tears slid down her cheeks. "Oh, yes."

Oliver reached up and gathered her hand in his, pulling it down to clasp between them. "Then allow me to correct a grievous error."

To Grace's complete astonishment, he dropped to one knee before her. Still holding her hand, he fervently declared, "Grace Farrell, I love you more than I thought I could ever love any woman. I want nothing but to spend my life loving you, protecting you, making you happy. I want to work with you, argue with you, and make love to you for the rest of my days. To borrow a phrase from that 'penniless little orphan,' this house wouldn't be home without you."

In utter disbelief, Grace whispered, "You love me?"

Oliver tenderly kissed her hand. "Very much." He smiled softly. "Will you do me the great honor of consenting to be my wife?"

Grace was so overwhelmed she couldn't speak. Several times she opened her mouth only to find that nothing would come out. Giving in to the inevitable, she vigorously nodded her acceptance. Then she too fell to her knees, and, half laughing, half crying, was finally able to choke out, "Yes! Absolutely, unequivocally yes!" while peppering his face with kisses.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. "When Annie told me you planned to leave, I was terrified. Trying to imagine my life without you left me shaking so badly I couldn't stand."

"I didn't want to leave," she hiccupped. "I just knew I couldn't live in the same house while you…while you were…." Unable to finish, she buried her face in his neck.

Oliver ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. "I'll never give you reason to leave again."

After a few minutes he managed to guide them both to the nearby sofa, where she ruefully accepted his proffered handkerchief. "You never have a handkerchief when you need one," he noted affectionately.

Grace gave him a watery smile. "I don't have to; I always use yours!"

Oliver laughed. "I promise from now on I'll carry two handkerchiefs so I can be prepared whenever you want to have a good cry."

She continued smiling as she dabbed her eyes. "I'm not usually this emotional. I've just been so miserable!"

"That's my fault." He kissed her forehead. "I've been pretty unhappy myself. But," he wiped her remaining tears away with his thumbs, "I'm going to spend the next few hours correcting this horrendous mess I've made, starting with Katherine." He mused on his other fiancée. "She's not going to take this lightly," Oliver grimaced, then chuckled. "It's ironic that I've spent the last several decades avoiding women, to now find myself engaged to two at the same time!"

Grace looked at him reprovingly. "I'm sure someday I'll be able to find the humor in this situation." Oliver only smiled more broadly.

"In the meantime," he continued unabated, "I want you to call Rouner and tell that lecherous barracuda you'll be unable to accept his offer, and that he's not to make any more in the future, or he'll be having a conversation with me. Emphasize that would be a most uncomfortable circumstance."

Grace gave a short laugh, already feeling loved and protected.

Oliver stood, pulling her up with him. He clasped both of her hands in his. "I love you, Grace. I'm truly sorry I put you…_us_," he corrected, "through this nightmare" He glanced at her sheepishly. "Not that I deserve it, but would you allow me one indulgence before I go?"

"Name it."

"I have wanted to kiss you - properly kiss you, since that morning in the garden when you convinced me to adopt Annie. Or rather, I'd like to properly kiss you without first accosting you," Oliver frowned in self-reproach. He reached up and lightly ran a thumb across her bottom lip. "I'd like to kiss you now," he admitted, watching in amazement as an expression of unadulterated desire slid across her face. While trailing his thumb along her upper lip, he drifted closer. Looking directly into her eyes, he whispered, "May I?"

"God, yes!" was her immediate answer, and she closed the remaining distance herself.

Oliver left the house far later than he intended, but for the first time in weeks he was smiling with extreme satisfaction.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

GETTING IT RIGHT

A short thirty minutes later, Oliver found himself in the very same room in which he'd offered his unique proposal to Katherine six weeks ago. It was hard to believe that such a short time had gone by since that fateful day. Now, waiting for Katherine to appear, he felt like he was about to jump out of his skin. Ironically when he came to propose, he'd been completely calm and unbothered. He was only nervous now that he was calling it off!

Not able to sit still, Oliver rose from the comfortable armchair and restlessly paced back and forth. He'd spent the last half hour trying to come up with the words to inform Katherine of the latest turn of events without inspiring great anger and contempt, but had thus far drawn a blank.

_Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned,_ rose unbidden to his mind, and he grimaced. Katherine wasn't exactly being scorned, but he doubted she'd take the unusual circumstances of their engagement into consideration upon it's unexpected severance, or more importantly, upon the reason for its unexpected severance. Telling a woman that she was being supplanted by another was an unenviable task, but he knew Katherine would be extremely insulted that she was being replaced by someone she felt to be far beneath not only her, but him as well, whether he felt that way or not.

He stopped his pacing as a realization dawned. Strangely, not once since he'd hire her had he ever thought of Grace as a mere secretary. True, he'd never really noticed her beyond her position, but also never had he grouped her with the rest of the office staff. There'd been the staff, and there'd been Grace. She'd always been separate in his mind, the one person he could always rely on, the one person whose opinion he actually listened to. Looking back, he couldn't believe he'd missed it. It would have been obvious to anyone paying attention. _Good lord,_ he thought, _I've been in love with her for years!_ _I'm a bloody idiot!_

He resumed pacing, now wanting nothing more than to go home and pull Grace and Annie into his arms and pledge himself to them for the rest of his life. He glared at the clock impatiently. What was taking Katherine so long?

"You should have just asked for my newspaper to pass the time; there's no need to wear a path in the carpet!" Katherine joked from the doorway.

Oliver swung around, taken by surprise at her sudden appearance, and was struck again by how ill-prepared he was for the upcoming conversation. He recovered quickly, though, and produced a charming smile. "You're right. I've broken my cardinal rule when dealing with a woman."

Chuckling, Katherine entered the room. "Are you hand-delivering the final version of the agreement to make sure I sign it?"

"No. There's been a…develop ment that I need to inform you of." He gestured toward the sofa. "Perhaps you'd better sit down."

She scrutinized him closely, but instead of moving to the sofa, she made her way to a side table. Withdrawing a white handkerchief from its drawer, she handed it to Oliver. "A new development? I can't wait to hear it."

Mystified, Oliver cocked his head, silently asking what she meant.

Katherine reached out and tapped the corner of his mouth with her finger.

He took the handkerchief and wiped the area she'd specified. Drawing back, he was surprised to see rose colored lipstick standing out starkly against the white linen. _Grace's,_ he realized with a start. He ruefully passed the cloth over his lips again to wipe away any remaining color. Placing the handkerchief in his inside coat pocket, he repeated, "As I said, you'd better sit down."

She took a seat on the sofa, but he didn't join her. He resumed his pacing, hands grasped behind his back. After several passes back and forth, he finally faced her. "I want to call off our engagement," he said candidly.

Instead of the anger he'd been expecting, amusement crossed her face. "You want to call off our engagement because of a little lipstick?"

He was taken aback by her nonchalant attitude. "Actually, yes."

"Oliver, don't be absurd!"

She wasn't reacting as he'd anticipated at all. "Katherine, I've spent the last hour kissing another woman. I think that's an unqualified reason to cancel our plans."

"Oliver," she began in her patient tone, "do you honestly expect me to be affronted by the revelation that you have a mistress? Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned her before now."

He stood completely still, incredulity etched into his features. "Is that what you think, that I have a mistress?"

"Of course. Why would you think the existence of your mistress would be a reason to cancel our engagement?" she inquired. "After all, you had her when you proposed."

Her casual acceptance of what he considered would be an abhorrent misconduct flabbergasted him. "_I do not have a mistress!"_

She regarded him in confusion. "Then I don't understand."

"Katherine, I want to cancel our engagement because I want to marry Grace!"

Her confusion deepened. "Grace? Grace who?" It took a few seconds for comprehension to dawn, and when it did, she exploded off the couch. "Do you mean Grace Farrell, _your secretary?!_"

"Precisely."

"Are you out of your mind?"

He raised his eyebrows, amused at hearing the same words directed at him that he'd flung at Grace not two hours before. "Not at all. She and I had a very…revealing…confrontation after I returned to the house today, during which she made a staggering confession of love, and…."

"_Love?" _ Katherine's lip curled in disgust. "Oliver, you're daft! Whatever she said, I guarantee she doesn't love you. She merely wants your money."

"Not everyone is as obsessed with money as you and I," Oliver proclaimed, his voice hard, "On the contrary, besides Annie, Grace is the only woman I've known who _isn't_ interested in my money." He surveyed her critically. "I find it astonishing that you accept the possibility of a mistress as a matter of course, but view the idea of my marrying my secretary to be unacceptable."

Katherine scoffed and angrily paced away. "It's unacceptable because she _is_ your secretary! Billionaires don't marry their secretaries, Oliver, they have affairs with them!" She paused and swung to face him. "Is that it; you've been involved in an affair? I suppose she's pregnant. A courtesan knows how to avoid that situation. Secretaries rarely do."

Oliver moved so fast she barely saw him coming. In the span of a breath he was inches from her, rage radiating off of him in waves. "If you were a man, you'd be flat on your back for that comment. As it is, I'll thank you not to slander Grace's character. You may say what you like about me, but I take great exception to disparages against Grace, and I will react accordingly. Am I understood?"

"Don't threaten me, Oliver," she responded scathingly. "Should you choose to follow this ill-advised course of action, I will make sure that _your secretary_ isn't accepted into any social circle that I'm connected with. She will be shunned wherever she goes!"

Oliver snorted. "I doubt invasion into the socialites is a goal Grace aspires to, but mark my word; any female who besmirches Grace will have a husband who will no longer be doing business with me, and as I bankroll the companies of several prominent citizens, there aren't many businessmen who can afford to lose my backing. I will further make sure they know just why they will no longer be doing business with me. So, should you take _that_ ill-advised course of action, Grace won't be the only female shunned by New York's high society."

"You're forgetting one important detail, Oliver. We have an agreement…."

"That was never signed and is therefore not binding."

"We made a verbal agreement that was sealed by this," and she held up her hand to display the sparkling engagement ring, "and there is no shortage of precedential case law upholding just such a promise of marriage."

"This isn't the nineteenth century, Katherine! You'd be hard pressed to find a judge who would support the idea that your livelihood has been compromised by my breaking said promise and retrieval of that seal, which I will do now." He held out his hand for the ring.

Clenching her fist to indicate it wouldn't be that easy, she hissed, "You gave me the ring not only as a token of our agreement, but as a gift, and I will not be bullied into giving it up."

At the end of his patience, Oliver reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his checkbook. "What's your price?" he asked frankly. "And before you refuse, I feel the need to inform you that I chose that stone due to how closely it resembles the color of Grace's eyes, something you'll think about every time you look at it. I certainly have."

Katherine couldn't remember a time when she'd been so furious. That fury almost made her reject his offer outright. However, she hadn't survived so well for so long by allowing her emotions to rule her head. She was savvy enough to realize this was a losing battle, and shrewd enough to know that Oliver wouldn't hesitate to take her to court and have a judge order the return of the ring. Not only did she doubt she could collect any reparations from the breach of promise, she was also cognizant of the damage this debacle would do to her image publicly should the affair be drug before a judge. A quiet retreat was in order. However it would be a retreat paved where it would hurt Oliver the most.

"Not a penny less than $250,000," she proclaimed, crossing her arms firmly across her chest.

If he was shocked by the amount, he didn't show it. Sitting on the sofa, he calmly wrote the check for the specified amount, and held it out to Katherine. "The ring, if you please."

With a scowl reminiscent of the one he'd seen on Penelope's face the night Annie belted her in the mouth, Katherine pulled the ring from her finger and handed it to him in exchange for the check.

Dropping the ring into his pocket, he closed the flap. "You need not concern yourself with any public announcements; I'll take care of that. I believe this concludes our business. I'll see myself out." With that he wheeled and exited the room, leaving her standing there, clutching the draft.

* * *

Oliver settled into the back seat of the car, sighing in grim satisfaction. _That interview could have gone better,_ he admitted to himself. _It could have gone a lot worse, too!_

"How did she take it?" the Asp asked through the open window separating him from the rear compartment.

Warbucks looked at him in surprise. "You knew I planned to call it off?"

"The staff's been pulling for Miss Farrell for quite some time," he replied truthfully. "We wondered when you'd come around. So, was she angry?" he finished with a nod to Katherine's house as they pulled away.

Accepting the Asp's statement philosophically, he affirmed, "Let's just say Miss Farrell probably saved me from a very ugly and very expensive divorce."

"She can be mighty persuasive when she wants to be,"

"Yes. Sex appeal isn't her only hidden attribute." He sent a knowing glance at his bodyguard.

The Asp smiled. "Where to now, sir?"

"Home." Oliver reached into his pocket and extracted the ring. Watching it sparkle as the sunlight hit it, he added, "I want to pick up Annie. There's something I'd like her to help me with."

Catching the ring glinting in the rearview mirror, the Asp produced a delighted smile.

* * *

Grace looked at the shelf clock for what had to be the tenth time in the last hour. It was nearing dinner time, and she hadn't seen or heard from Oliver since their altercation and his proposal right after lunch. She was growing alarmed at his continued absence, worried at how Mrs. Allen had taken the news. More importantly, she was worried that, as a highly practiced and experienced negotiator, Oliver's fiancée had managed to change his mind.

With a sigh, she picked up her pencil and resolutely continued adding entries into Mr. Warbucks' daybook, keeping track of the daily changes to the many open accounts. The business didn't stop for impromptu proposals any more than it did for spur-of-the-moment adoptions, and he'd want to review this information before the day's end. Finishing the third entry, her eyes slid over to the clock again.

Unable to quietly sit and wait any longer, she was about to ring for Drake and ask if Mr. Warbucks had returned without her knowledge when she heard Annie's distinctive voice carrying on what sounded like a one-way conversation, the sentences were so strung together. The girl's voice grew louder as she came closer to the office. When she caught Oliver's answering baritone sneaking in for a comment, Grace shot out of her chair and into the corridor before she considered what the rest of the office team would think.

Having just returned home from their errand, Oliver, Annie and Punjab were making their way to the office, Annie barely containing her excitement at what was to come. "Oh, I betcha she's gonna love it, Daddy Warbucks! Do you think she'll like it? It's the prettiest thing I ever saw! I can't wait till she sees it. I betcha she's gonna love it!"

Oliver chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm, and caught Punjab's slight grin as she danced between them. Immensely pleased himself at the outcome of their undertaking, he affirmed, "I think she'll adore it. If not, we'll find something she does."

"OK," Annie accepted, "but I betcha she's gonna love it!"

Oliver looked up to suddenly see Grace dart out of the office near the end of the hall, a panicked look on her face. He came to an abrupt halt, his heart skipping a beat at her expression. "Grace? Is something wrong?"

"Oliver! Annie! I…. You…," she stammered. "You were gone so long, I thought maybe…." Discarding her pride altogether, she blurted, "You haven't changed your mind, have you? About us?"

Oliver's eyes grew round in astonishment. "Changed my mind?" he gasped. "Good lord, no!"

At his pronouncement, Grace rushed to the trio and unceremoniously threw her arms around him, holding him tight. "Thank God!"

Bewildered, Oliver returned her embrace, looking to Punjab for guidance.

The Indian drew himself up. "Budha says there is nothing so fickle as woman," he pronounced. "except a man who has more than one romantic attachment."

Oliver scowled at him "I only have one romantic attachment, and she's right here." He drew back, beholding Grace. "Of course I haven't changed my mind, and I never will!" he assured her. With no more preamble, he bent down and kissed her deeply, in full view of Annie, Punjab, and most of the office staff who had rushed out behind Miss Farrell to see what had caused her to react so inexplicably.

"Ain't love wonderful?" Annie asked no one in particular. She heard sighs of agreement from Mabel and Mrs. Greer.

Oliver finally ended his demonstration with a parting peck on Grace's lips. He then directed his attention to their audience. "I need to speak with Miss Farrell, _alone_, so get back to work," he ordered blithely. Turning to Annie and Punjab he added, "The same goes for you two."

As the small gathering began to disperse, Annie hugged Grace around the middle, unable to contain herself any longer. "I'll see you later, and you can tell me everything he says," indicating her father.

Grace gave a short laugh as Annie grabbed Punjab's hand and hauled him back the way they'd come, eager for her future parents to iron out all the details so they could settle down and be her parents.

"I take it you told her?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Oliver confirmed. "As you can see, she took the news amazingly well. So well, in fact, I thought she was going to shoot through the roof!" He took her hand. "Let's go outside where there are fewer ears to contend with."

Smiling in agreement, she allowed him to lead her downstairs and onto the veranda, away from the house. Once they were a distance from the building, she stated, "You were gone so long, I was beginning to worry. How did it go?"

Running his thumb absently over the back of her hand, he replied, "I don't believe we'll be invited to Penelope's next birthday party." As she chuckled, he drew her down onto the wall surrounding the fountain, and added more seriously, "Nor do I think Katherine will ever speak to me again without first wanting to spit in my face. However, I believe she is very keen to put this entire debacle behind her with little to no fuss."

"You paid her off, didn't you?"

He shook his head, once again amazed at her clairvoyance. "I don't understand how you do that. I can see I won't be able to keep much from you," he continued, slightly annoyed. "Yes, I did. I finally determined it was the only way to guarantee her full cooperation," he answered honestly. "Like I said, we shouldn't be hearing any more from her. And that's enough about Katherine. Did you contact Rouner?"

Grace smiled at the slight tone of jealousy that crept into his voice. "Yes."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said you made a counter offer that I couldn't refuse."

"Did he concede gracefully?"

Chuckling, Grace said, "No. He replied he'd beat your offer, no matter what it was."

"Really," he retorted. "Do I need to have a talk with him?"

Now smiling broadly, she placated, "Again, no. I told him no matter how much he increased my salary, he could no longer afford me."

Oliver was silent for a heartbeat, then his laughter rang across the veranda. "I can only imagine what went through his lascivious mind at that comment!"

"I'm just relieved at how that situation turned out," Grace admitted. "Everything you accused him of in the drawing room had already crossed my mind during our interview. He was rather obvious in his appraisal." She rolled her eyes.

"From now on I'll be the only one appraising you, and you can expect that to happen often." Holding her hand more tightly, he claimed, "It sounds like everything has been settled except for one minor detail."

At her questioning look, he released her hand to reach into his inner coat pocket and draw out a ring box. "Annie helped me with this, so it has her stamp of approval, but I want you to know that if it isn't satisfactory, just say so, and it will be exchanged." He opened it for her to see. "Before you ask, the answer is yes, this is part of the same stone that made up the ring I gave to Katherine. However, as I told her, I originally chose that stone because it so reminded me of the color of your eyes."

At that confession, Grace tore her gaze away from the beautiful ring he was presenting and focused on his face. "You mean…?"

"That should have been my first hint that I was making a horrible mistake," he admitted. "I didn't intend to construct your ring from the same stone, but Annie thought the story was such a romantic sentiment, she begged me to use it." He removed the ring from its case. "She designed this with you in mind, and I couldn't help but agree with her creation."

The ring he held out to her bespoke a subtle beauty. The main stone was the blue diamond, as he said, but less than half the size of the ostentatious one Mrs. Allen had worn. It was surrounded by white diamonds cut in a way to highlight and capture the gleam of the center stone, increasing its luster to a radiance she couldn't understand as possible.

As she gazed at it, he explained, "The rest of the diamond is being fashioned into a matching necklace and earring pair. I imagine they'll set off your eyes to exception." When she continued to silently examine the ring, he hesitantly asked, "Do you like it?"

Grace couldn't remember ever being so touched. That he had been thinking of her when he proposed to another woman left her speechless. She didn't know whether that made her want to throw herself in his arms again or hit him over the head with her typewriter. As he'd already apologized for putting them, and especially her, through the entire affair of Mrs. Allen, she opted for the former, and launched herself at him.

Her sudden action nearly threw him backwards into the fountain, but he managed to brace himself with his legs at the last minute and hold them both on the dry side of the wall. "Does this mean you accept it?"

"I love it, Oliver, and I love you!" Then she was crying again, and the only handkerchief he could give her was the one Katherine had provided to clean off the lipstick.

Wiping her tears away with the clean side of the cloth, she said, "I promise, this is the last time I'll cry."

"Don't you dare make that promise!" Oliver took the cloth from her, finishing the job himself. "Not only do I think you'll break it before the week is out, but I quite enjoy kissing away your tears." And he did just that, causing her to laugh. When she'd calmed down sufficiently, he held out the ring. "May I?"

Smiling and sniffling, Grace nodded. as she pulled off the sapphire she usually wore on her left hand, allowing him to slide the engagement ring onto her finger.

"How would you like to announce this sudden turn of events?" Oliver asked, pulling her close.

"Unless you see a reason for it, I don't want a big party," Grace said, snuggling into his shoulder. "But you know what I would like to do?" she asked, her voice laced with mischievousness.

"Hold a barbecue in the backyard?"

"With our families!"

"And Sandy!"

"And a lot of napkins!"

They both dissolved into laughter that was interrupted by Annie yelling out the side door, "Mom, Daddy Warbucks, dinner's ready! C'mon, I'm starved!"

Still laughing, Oliver called over his shoulder, "Coming!"

Grace added, "Go wash your hands!" as he pulled her up and gave her a light kiss.

"Shall we join our daughter?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

With a brilliant smile, she agreed, "I'd love to."

THE END


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